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THE 


Romance  of  Commerce 


BY 


J.  MACDONALD  OXLEY,  LL.B.,  B.A. 


■J 


NEW  YORK 

THOMAS  Y.  CROWELL  &  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


'V*>-N 


p:  24'M 


2P>U51 


Copyright,  1896, 
Br  Thomas  Y.  Crowell  &  Company. 


PREFACE. 


There  has  been  a  romance  of  commerce,  no 
less  than  a  romance  of  war.  Men  have  sliown 
equal  enterprise  and  daring  in  enlarging  in- 
comes as  in  extending  the  bounds  of  empire, 
and  gold  has  run  close  rivalry  -^v^ith  glory  in 
adding  brilliant  pages  to  the  world's  liistory. 

It  has  been  the  aim  of  tlie  author  to  make 
some  attempt  towards  recalling  the  more  inter- 
esting of  these  pages  for  tlie  benefit  of  the 
young  people  to  whom  this  little  volume  is 
especially  addressed ;  but  before  beginning  liis 
recital  he  wishes  to  make  due  acknowledgment 
to  Messrs.  Harper  &  Brothers,  Chas.  Scribner's 
Sons,  and  the  publisher  of  the  Cosmopolitan 
magazine  of  New  York,  for  the  privilege  of 
reprinting  such  of  the  following  chapters  as  first 
appeared  in  their  periodicals. 

J.  M.  O. 


CONTENTS. 


*^"^"^'»-  PAGE. 

I.    John  Law  and  the  Mississippi  Bubble,  1 

II.    The  South  Ska  Bubble 13 

III.    The  Tulip  Mania  in  Holland  ....  24 

TV.    The  Dakien  Expedition 35 

V.    The  Chase  of  the  Spanish  Galleons  .  47 

VI.    The  Quest  for  a  North-west  Passage,  60 
VII.    How   the    Merchants   opened   up   the 

World 7I 

VIII.    The  Rise  and  Fall  of  John  Company  .  84 

IX.    The  Hudson's  Bay  Trading  Company  .  96 

X.    The  Canadian  Pacific  Railway   ...  145 

XI.    The  Mediterranean  of  Canada    ...  157 

XII.    From  Forest  to  Floor 197 

XIII.    An  Ocean  Gbave-yard 220 


i 


THE   ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


CHArTER  I. 


'■ 


JOHN    LAW    AND   TIIIC   MIHSISS1IM»I    IJUIJBLE. 

"  I  CAN  calculate,"  said  the  great  astronomer, 
Sir  Isaac  Newton,  *'  the  motions  of  wandering 
stars,  hut  not  the  madness  of  the  multitude." 
It  would  indeed  take  not  an  astronomer,  hut  a 
prophet,  to  predict  to  what  heights  of  folly  the 
crowd  will  go,  if  they  only  have  a  leader  who 
makes  them  big  enough  promises.  What  has 
passed  into  history  as  the  "  Mississippi  Bubble  " 
is  a  remarkable  instance  of  this. 

When  the  long  and  splendid  reign  of  Louis 
XIV.  at  last  came  to  an  end,  it  left  France  in 
a  very  bad  way,  in  fact,  with  almost  no  money 
on  hand.  The  whole  public  service  reeked  with 
corruption.     The  frauds  of  men  in  oflice  and  of 


their  allies  in  the  tradi 


"g 


pled  the  resources  of  the 


commu 
coun 


ni 


ty  had 


crip- 
y,  and  brought 
its  commerce  almost  to  a  standstill.     The  tillers 


THE  ROMANS  (J E  OF  COMMERCE. 


f» 


\*f\ 


of  the  soil  were  taxed  to  the  utmost  limits  of 
human  endurance ;  and  the  Regent,  the  Duke  of 
Orleans,  was  at  his  wits'  end  as  to  how  to  carry 
on  the  affairs  of  state  with  an  empty  treasury, 
and  no  visible  means  of  filling  it. 

In  this  emergency  there  came  to  him  a  mid- 
dle-aged man  with  a  strange  history  and  a  still 
stranger  scheme.  The  son  of  a  wealthy  Edin- 
burgh goldsmith,  John  Law,  in  the  he^'day  of 
his  youth  went  up  to  London,  where  he  took 
high  rank  among  its  fops  and  gallants,  squan- 
dered all  his  fortune,  killed  a  man  in  a  duel, 
was  put  in  prison  for  the  offence,  and  contrived 
to  effect  his  escape.  For  the  next  twenty  years 
he  scoured  the  Continent,  seeking  in  a  clever 
and  systematic  course  of  gambling  to  retrieve 
his  fortunes,  and  to  prepare  the  foundation  for 
the  great  enterprise  he  was  planning  in  his  sin- 
gularly inventive  and  daring  mind.  Firmly 
convinced  of  the  soundness  of  the  financial  the- 
ories he  had  conceived,  he  expounded  them  to 
all  the  princes  of  Europe  in  turn.  But  he  met 
with  slight  encouragement  from  any  of  them. 
"I  am  not  powerful  enough  to  ruin  myself," 
was  the  chilling  reply  of  the  King  of  Sicily. 
Louis  XIV.,  although  his  exchequer  was  near- 


THE  MISSISSIPPI  BUBBLE. 


8 


ing  exhaustion,  took  no  stock  in  the  Scotch 
adventurer.  At  length  in  the  Regent  he  found 
a  sympathetic  listener,  through  whose  influence 
he  was  allowed,  in  May,  1716,  to  establish  a 
circulating  and  discount  bank  with  a  capital  of 
six  million  livres. 

This  bank  at  once  had  very  great  success, 
and  was  of  such  real  service  that,  in  the  course 
of  a  year,  its  notes  were  actually  worth  more 
than  gold  and  silver  money,  which  was  liable 
to  depreciation  at  the  whim  of  the  crown.  The 
favor  Law  thus  won  with  statesmen,  courtiers, 
and  common  folk  made  easy  the  adoption  of  a 
greater  project,  the  Mississippi  scheme,  which 
he  promptly  proceeded  to  set  on  foot. 

It  got  its  name  from  the  noble  river  which  ran 
through  the  richest  part  of  the  French  colony 
of  Louisiana.  France  was  by  this  time  begin- 
ning to  grow  somewhat  tired  of  her  American 
colonies.  They  were  costing  her  a  mint  of 
money,  and  making  little  return.  Law  now 
revived  the  old  idea  that  under  the  prolific  soil 
of  the  vast,  vague  territory  of  Louisiana  there 
was  boundless  wealth  in  gold,  silver,  copper, 
and  other  valuable  metals.  He  proposed  that 
a  company  should  be  formed  to   develop  this 


THE  llOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


wealth,  that  miners  and  traders  should  be  sent 
out,  and  that  with  the  proceeds  of  their  toil  the 
French  exchequer,  so  wofully  depleted,  should 
be  replenished.  His  proposal  was  eagerly  ac- 
cepted; and  in  1717  the  Compagnie  d^ Occident 
was  formed,  with  a  capit.d  of  one  hundred 
million  livres.  Soon  afterwards  this  company 
was  united  with  the  bank,  "which  then  blos- 
somed out  into  the  lloyal  Bank  of  France. 

By  means  which  it  would  take  too  long  to 
describe,  the  shares  of  this  company  were  put 
upon  the  market  in  such  a  way  as  to  awaken 
a  spirit  of  the  wildest  speculation  among  the 
French  people,  from  peer  to  peasant.  In  the 
year  1719  the  company  was  reorganized,  and 
granted  the  exclusive  right  of  trading  to  the 
East  Indies,  China,  and  the  South  Seas,  the 
name  being  changed  to  the  Compagnie  des 
Indes.  So  great  became  the  demand  for  its 
shares  that  Law  created  first  fifty  thousand 
fresh  ones,  and  then  three  hundred  thousand 
more,  promising  annual  dividends  thereon  of 
one  hundred  and  tw^enty  per  cent.  They  were 
all  taken  up  within  a  few  weeks.  The  country 
people  crowded  up  to  Paris  to  invest  their  hard- 
earned    savings,    while    every    second    citizen 


THE  MISSISSIPPI  BUBBLE. 


joined  in  the  insane  rush.  Mr.  Fox  Bourne 
tells  us  that  Law's  house  in  the  Rue  de  Quin- 
campoix  was  besieged  from  morning  to  night 
by  an  exeited  rabble  of  dukes,  duchesses,  mer- 
chants, milkmaids,  and  all  other  representatives 
of  the  noblesse  and  bourgeoisie.  So  many  were 
there  crushed  to  death,  or  maimed  for  life,  that 
Law  had  to  remove  to  the  Place  Vendome,  and 
at  length  to  take  the  great  Hotel  de  Soissons, 
the  garden  of  which,  covering  several  acres, 
scarcely  sufficed  to  accommodate  the  frantic 
speculators. 

All  day  long  were  the  antechambers  of  the 
financial  hero  of  the  hour  crowded  with  persons 
of  all  ranks,  who  waited  for  their  turn  to  obtain 
the  coveted  shares. 

"  My  son  was  looking  for  a  duchess  to  escort 
my  granddaughter  to  Genoa,"  writes  Madame, 
the  Regent's  mother.  " '  Send  and  choose  one 
at  Madame  Law's,'  said  I;  'you  will  find 
them  all  sitting  in  lier  drawing-room.' " 

So  soon  as  shares  were  obtained  they  were 
taken  into  the  great  market  in  the  garden, 
there  to  be  traded  with  among  the  thousands 
who  were  ready  to  pay  any  price  that  was 
asked  for  them,  and  who  generally  sold  them 


6 


THE   liOMANCK  OF  COMMFAtCK. 


I 


acfiiin  at  yet  higher  rates.  This  turmoil  of  spec- 
iihitioii,  wliieli  Listed  for  a  whole  year,  has  hardly 
a  parallel  in  the  history  of  ihianeial  follies. 

Curious  and  entertaining  vstories  have  been 
preserved  of  what  ha[)pened  during  tlie  height 
of  ll\e  mania.  A  lueky  eol)l)ler,  whose  stall 
stood  near  Law's  head(iuarters,  gained  two  hun- 
dred livres  a  day  by  })roviding  desk  aeeommo- 
dation  for  the  speeulators ;  and  a  hunehbaek, 
whose  deformity  was  his  only  stoek  in  trade, 
made  a  small  fortune  by  turning  himself  into  a 
movable  writing-desk.  A  lady,  who  had  long 
in  vain  sought  aeeess  to  Law's  counting-house, 
devised  an  original  plan  for  meeting  him.  Or- 
dering her  coachman  to  run  up  against  a  post 
as  soon  as  he  could  meet  the  great  linancier 
in  the  streets,  she  drove  about  persistently  for 
three  da}s  before  Law  came  in  sight.  At  last 
she  caught  sight  of  him  approaching.  "  Upset 
me  now!"  she  cried;  "upset  me!"  The 
coachman  obeyed,  and  his  mistress  was  tumbled 
out  on  the  pavement.  Law  at  once  ran  gal- 
lantly to  her  assistance,  and  then  learned  that 
the  lady  suffered  from  notliing  but  want  of 
Mississippi  shares,  and  so  he  was  induced  to 
allot  her  a  number. 


TlfE  MISS  188 IITI  ItUllllLE. 


Hardly  less  ingenioiiH,  tliouf^li  not  so  .success- 
ful, was  auotlKM-  lady,  who,  failing  to  secure  an 
invitation  to  a  house  where  F^aw  was  dining, 
drove  past  the  door  with  lusr  coachman  and 
footmen  shouting  out  "Fire  I  fire!"  at  the  to[) 
of  their  voices.  Of  course  all  the  guests,  and 
Law  among  them,  rushed  to  the  windows  to  see 
where  the  lire  was.  The  moment  the  lady  saw 
Law  she  sprang  out  of  her  carriage  and  tried  to 
speak  to  him  ;  but  he,  seeing  through  her  ruse, 
at  once  vanishiHi. 

Of  course,  in  the  midst  of  this  furious  specu- 
lation, there  were  those  who,  by  quick  and  dar- 
ing action,  suddenly  sprang  from  poverty  to 
great  wealth.  The  list  of  "Mississippians,"  as 
those  were  called  who  thus  distinguished  them- 
selves, contained  the  names  of  more  than  one 
hundred  persons  who,  during  the  continuance 
of  the  mania,  acquired  fortunes  exceeding 
twenty  million  livres.  Andrd,  the  son  of  a 
Montelimart  skinner,  overwhelmed  by  debt  in 
the  year  1718,  and  so  utterly  worthless  that  one 
of  his  creditors  offered  in  barter  for  a  breakfast 
notes  of  hand  signed  by  him  to  the  amount  of 
ten  thousand  livres,  in  1720  found  himself  pos- 
sessor of  seventy  millions.      Dupin,  a  servant 


8 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


of  the  Banker  Tourton,  retired  with  fifty  mil- 
lions. A  Savoyard  named  Chambery,  a  porter 
and  furniture-polisher,  amassed  forty  millions ; 
and  a  bartender,  named  Gabriel  Bourdon,  real- 
ized thirty  millions,  went  over  to  England,  and 
returned  after  the  excitement  had  subsided,  to 
play  in  Paris  the  rSle  of  milord,  with  a  carriage 
and  servants  galore. 

One  of  the  best  stories  is  told  in  connection 
with  Law  himself.  One  day  his  coachman  ap- 
peared before  him,  accompanied  by  two  capable 
looking  men.  "  I  am  going  to  leave,  mon- 
sieur," said  he,  "  and  you  will  need  some  one  in 
my  place.  Here  are  two  men  whom  I  know 
and  can  recommend.  Take  your  choice.,  I  will 
engage  the  other  for  myself.'''' 

During  this  period  of  frenzy,  all  ordinary  oc- 
cupations were  neglected  save  those  by  which 
the  shrewdest  of  the  people  grew  wealthy  in 
catering  for  the  extravagant  ways  of  living  that 
prevailed.  The  most  lavish  luxury  was  in- 
dulged in.  Paris  was  flooded  with  pictures, 
jewellery,  and  the  like,  which  were  sold  for 
fabulous  sums. 

But,  of  course,  this  state  of  things  could  not 
endure  long.     It  was  inevitable  that   Law's 


THE  MISSISSIPPI  BUBBLE. 


9 


scheme  must  soon  reach  the  end  of  its  tether. 
It  never  had  any  substantial  foundation ;  and 
presently  it  became  necessary  to  bolster  it  up, 
first  with  expedients  to  sustain  the  public  in- 
terest, and  later  on  with  edicts  forbidding  the 
holding  of  gold  and  silver  in  large  quantities, 
in  order  that  the  bank  might  have  control  of 
the  specie  in  the  country. 

One  of  the  expedients  resorted  to  was  to 
bring  from  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  eleven 
Indians,  as  specimens  of  the  inhabitants,  the 
chief  of  the  party  being  a  woman,  who  was 
reputed  to  be  a  queen  of  a  renowned  tribe 
called  the  People  of  the  Sun.  They  created 
quite  a  furor  by  their  appearance,  and,  among 
other  things,  hunted  down  before  the  eyes  of 
the  king  and  court  a  stag  which  was  let  loose 
in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  They  also  gave  ex- 
hibitions of  their  native  dances  in  the  Th^S,tre 
Italien. 

Now,  while  the  public  were  amusing  them- 
selves with  these  trifles,  some  far-seeing  men 
were  arranging  a  marriage  for  her  dusky  Maj- 
esty which  would  prove  a  bond  of  union  be- 
tween the  two  countries.  She  was  youthful 
and  attractive,  and  had  but  one  drawback;  viz., 


I 


10 


77/^;  liOM.wci:  <)/   i  (t]tMi':ii('K, 


ihi\U  !if^  iln'  ^Inuirhlcr  nf  I  In*  Sum,  hIk*  (Mijoyod 
i\\o  )Hivil(»}T»»  of  Killinjr  |j,»r  IhisIkiikI  wluMu^vor 
sl\('  \V(»!ni(Ml  of  liiin.  Not  nil hsliindiii^  (liiM,  IIhm'o 
wow  u\:\ny  .miilors  for  (In*  fiisriimlini^  IiKliiiii'M 
\v,\U{\  ;  and  from  Minnn^  them  slic  (diosc*  ii  liiind- 
nomo  S(M"j^(>anl.  of  tli(^  (lunrds  umiimmI  |)nl)(»iM. 
'Vho  m:\v\'\;\y;o  wmm  (hily  solcnuiiziMl,  inid  (ho 
liappv  ]>air  s(»t  sail  for  tluMr  dinniiiionM.  Hut, 
alas  for  ]>oor  Dubois  tlu»  I*'irs(,  K'\\\ir  of  IMJH- 
sonri !  IK*  ]\;id  hardly  landtMl  wIkmi  1ms  faith- 
loss  s]>ouso  had  him  Uillod,  and  j)i'ohahly  ho 
was  vuivu  by   h(M'  triho. 

In  s]Mto  o(  oxpcdiiMils  and  odi(Ms,  howcvoi', 
Law's  mioi'hly  fahi'ii'  boi^'an  t«>  toll(>r,  ivnd  wilder 
]>anio  to  tak(»  tlu^  ])laoo  <d'  wild  spmMilalion.  Tho 
ft^llowinof  linos,  whioh  wcmo  sunix  hy  a  mob,  ex- 
prossod  tho  oxporionoo  of  tlu^  majority  who  had 
yielded  themselves  to  the  gand)lini^  fever:  — 

•'  Lundi,  j'aoluMai  dos  aolions; 
]\lanli,  JO  g.ii^nai  \\oh  millions; 
Mororodi,  j'ornai  inon  monago; 
.Tondi,  jo  pris  nn  otjuipaiji^; 
Vondivdi,  jo  m'on  fns  on  bal; 
Et  ISaniodi  ^  Thopital," 

The  English  being  somewhat  like  this  :  — 

*' On  Monday  I  bons^lit  shavo  on  sliaro; 
On  Tuesday  1  was  a  niillionairo; 


K 


TUN  ,u/.^'N/NN7/'/'^  itrnithi;. 


n 


0  (>njoyo<l 
\vl\«Mu»vor 
lliiM,  thoro 

r    In<li!ll»'H 

il  I)ul)niM. 
,  inid  (1m> 
»iis.  Hut, 
g  of  MiH- 
lus  fiiilh- 
ol);il)ly   ho 

liowovor, 

ind  wilder 

ion.    Tho 

1  mob,  ex- 
who  bad 

lV(M' :  — 


us : 


fo; 


<Mi  \V«'iliinq(|(iy    I   •<•'•!<   a  KnitMl   nlimlo; 

(Ml  'riiiirmhiy   In   my  i!iiri(iu»»   I   todo; 

On  |''?i(|(iy  (|mv<*  ti»  the  ojiciii.  luill; 

On  Siihinliiy  wcnl   Id  Hi"  |i(iii|»»'r'H  Imll." 

()f  coniMo  liJiw  Itiiiisrir,  HO  IrsM  lliiiu  liJM  rnis- 
rliJPVoiiM  HyHl-niii,  ciimo  in  for  a  ^nriii  d^iil  of 
Iiiird  fcolin^r;  mikI  (  im  <l;iy  liJM  ('jMi  iii'.;'\  vvliidi 
forliimiilcly  foi-  liim  Imd  no  orciipiiMl,  wiis4  «»'t, 
n|ton  \}y  iiii  nii^ny  rnob,  mid  brokrn  lo  |iir(:rs, 
I'i^lil.  ill  front  of  llm  I'liliii^  do  .Inslicr,  wlicro 
I'iuliiinKMil.  wjiM  llicn  lioldiii|^''  ii  inornint^  KCKsion. 
'I'Ik^  prosidcnl,  liiivini.;'  occftsion  lo  Irnv!  Ilio 
('hiiinbcr  for  a  nioiiKMii,  vv.'im  l(»ld  of  what,  lifid 
liiij)|)(Mi(Ml.  I  lasldiiinj^  biick,  bo  Ktriwdc  a  (ba- 
iiialii;  atliliido,  and  rooilod  ilio  foliovvint^  irn- 
|>ronij)tu  vcM'su,  whicb  bad  gi(!at  colobiity  at 
tbo  timo  :  — • 

*'  MoRsiriirs,  jnoRsW'iirs,  boniin  notivollf! 

\i{\  rjirroH.sci  dr   Law  «'h(,  n'diiit,  rn  canrK'llf,." 

It  baH  Ihmjii  v(!ry  \v(dl  translated  tlms: 

"Sirs,  sirs,  j^rcaf,  news!     VVlial.  i.s  if?     It  's  — 
Tlu^y  'v«'.   HinaHlicd    Jiaw'8  carriage,  info  t)it,»." 

But  tb(3  (solbipso  of  tlic;  great  Mississippi  })id>- 
blo  was  no  subj(!ct  for  joking.  In  pro{)ortiori 
as  tbo  obition  and  oxtravaganco  produced  by  its 


1 


12 


THE  liOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


growth  were  great  beyond  precedent,  in  like 
manner  were  the  depression  and  ruin  wrought 
by  its  explosion  wof ill  beyond  description.  "  It 
is  inconceivable,"  writes  a  contemporary  his- 
torian, "  to  those  who  were  witness  of  the  hor- 
rors of  those  times,  and  who  look  back  upon 
them  now  as  on  a  dream,  that  a  sudden  revo- 
lution did  not  break  out ;  that  Law  and  the 
Regent  did  not  perish  by  a  tragical  death." 

As  it  was,  utterly  ruined  and  disgraced.  Law 
fled  the  country,  and  died  a  pauper's  death  in 
Venice,  leaving  poor  over-credulous  France  bur- 
dened with  a  debt  of  more  than  three  billion 
livres,  and  with  her  trade  and  capital  so  dis' 
organized  that  the  mischief  could  never  be  ade- 
quately repaired.  Such  was  the  lamentable 
result  of  the  famous  and  unfortunate  Missis- 
sippi Bubble. 


L  like 

ought 

"It 

r   his- 

}  hor- 

upon 

revo- 

d  tlie 
> 

,  Law 

ith  in 
e  bur- 
)illion 
o  dis* 
^  ade- 
itable 
Missis- 


^^^^  c 


Qy^     (Pan  ^'  ^]/c 


TRADE  LABEL  OF  THE  SOUTH  SEA  COMPANY. 
(Guildhall  Museum). 


THE  SOUTH  SEA   liUlillLE. 


18 


CHAPTER   II. 


THE   SOUTH   SKA   BUBBLE. 


That  volatile,  sanguine  France  should  lose 
her  head  over  the  Mississippi  Bubble,  even  to 
the  extent  she  did,  is  far  easier  lo  understand 
than  tliat  sober,  stolid  England  should  be 
tempted  into  any  similar  folly.  And  yet  the 
Rue  de  Quincampoix  in  the  very  vortex  of  the 
Mississippi  madness  did  not  present  a  scene  of 
wilder  speculation  than  Change  Alley,  in  Lon- 
don, when  the  South  Sea  mania  was  at  its 
height.  Oddly  enough,  too,  the  two  bubbles 
expanded  within  a  few  years  of  each  other,  and 
burst  not  far  apart.  Happily,  however,  the 
consequences  did  not  prove  quite  so  disastrous 
in  England  as  they  did  in  France. 

The  beginning  of  the  English  bubble  was  in 
the  year  1711,  Avhen  good  Queen  Anne  was  per- 
suaded to  grant  a  royal  charter  to  the  "  Gov- 
ernor and  Company  of  Merchants  of  Great 
Britain  trading  to  the  South  Seas."  The  for- 
mation of  this  company  was  the  direct  result  of 


14 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


the  extravagant  stories,  told  by  the  buccaneers 
and  freebooters  who  had  followed  in  the  path 
of  Drake,  of  the  fortunes  that  were  to  be  made 
by  shrewd  ventures  to  the  coasts  of  South 
America.  All  the  world  knew  of  the  immense 
wealth  derived  by  Spain  from  her  South  Ameri- 
can dominions,  and  there  was  no  lack  of  bold 
and  restless  spirits  eager  to  engage  in  any  en- 
terprise thither  which  promised  rich  reward, 
and  so,  when  the  Earl  of  Oxford,  then  Lord 
High  Treasurer,  lent  his  powerful  influence  to 
the  support  of  a  scheme  for  the  incorporation  of 
the  proprietors  of  a  portion  of  the  national  debt 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  a  trade  to  the 
South  Seas,  not  only  was  a  very  comprehensive 
charter  secured  without  difficulty,  but  the  stock 
of  the  new  company  at  once  took  a  high  place 
in  the  confidence  of  the  community. 

The  rights  and  privileges  conferred  upon  the 
company  were  simply  preposterous.  No  ships 
but  their  own  were  suffered  to  trade  within  the 
vast  territories  assigned  them  on  penalty  of  for- 
feiture of  both  ship  and  merchandise,  together 
with  double  their  value ;  and  they  had  the 
power  to  take  by  force  of  arms,  and  treat  as 
a  prize,  any  vessel  infringing  upon  their  mo- 


THE  SOUTH  SEA   BUBBLE. 


15 


nopoly.  Moreover,  all  the  commerciul  rights 
and  extraordinary  powers  with  which  they  were 
vested  were  declared  to  be  perpetual. 

The  capital  of  the  company  was  at  first  nearly 
ten  millions  of  pounds  sterling.  A  few  years 
later  it  was  increased  to  twelve  millions;  and 
as  the  interest  paid  upon  the  stock  by  the  gov- 
ernment amounted  to  more  than  six  hundred 
thousand  pounds  per  annum,  there  was  a  cer- 
tainty of  decent  dividends,  even  though  the 
results  of  the  few  trading  ventures  that  were 
made  to  the  South  Seas  were  utterly  insignifi- 
cant in  comparison  with  the  expectations  which 
had  been  excited  in  the  public  mind. 

For  some  time  the  affairs  of  the  company 
were  prudently  and  economically  managed,  and 
the  stock  advanced  steadily  until  it  was  worth 
one  hundred  and  fourteen  per  cent.  Then 
there  appeared  upon  the  scene  a  remarkable 
man,  who  has  good  claims  to  be  considered  the 
father  of  modern  stock-jobbing,  and  whose 
statue  ought  certainly  to  be  placed  in  some 
prominent  position  commanding  a  view  of  Wall 
Street  or  the  Stock  Exchange.  This  was  the 
famous  John  Blunt.  Bred  to  the  obscure  pro- 
fession of  scrivener,  nature  had  endowed  him 


IG 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


t>       I 


with  many  notable  qualities.  His  manners 
were  graceful  and  insinuating,  and  his  air  and 
address  peculiarly  calculated  to  win  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people  he  met.  Possessing  great 
boldness  of  character,  combined  with  striking 
originality  of  thought,  and  a  readiness  of  con- 
ception rarely  equalled,  he  was  just  the  man  to 
originate  and  execute  some  daring  scheme  that 
would  set  the  world  wondering. 

His  opportunity  came  when  King  George  I. 
asked  the  House  of  Commons  to  consider  some 
means  of  reducing  the  national  debt  of  Great 
Britain,  which  had  grown  so  large  as  to  become 
burdensome  to  the  people.  Blunt  at  once  ap- 
peared with  a  plan  that  the  South  Sea  Company 
should  purchase  the  debt  from  the  persons  by 
whom  it  was  held,  giving  in  exchange  therefor 
their  own  stock,  which  was  to  be  issued  by 
authority  of  Parliament. 

He  submitted  his  project  to  the  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer,  who  fell  in  with  it  at  once, 
and  supported  it  so  strongly  that  the  ministry 
of  the  day  had  it  adopted,  in  spite  of  strong 
protests  from  several  leading  members  of  the 
House  of  Lords,  who,  with  true  insight,  con- 
tended that  the  measure  was  certain  to  impov- 


TUE  SOUTH  SEA  BUBBLE. 


17 


erish  thousands,  although  it  might  enrich  a  few. 
Accordingly  in  the  year  1720,  an  Act  was  passed 
authorizing  the  company  to  take  over  by  pur- 
chase or  subscription  the  entire  national  debt, 
then  exceeding  thirty  million  pounds  sterling. 

Having  succeeded  in  this  step,  Blunt's  next 
proceeding  was  to  boom  the  South  Sea  stock, 
which  he  did  by  having  secret  agents  circulate 
the  most  rose-colored  reports  concerning  the 
commercial  privileges  and  opportunities  of  the 
company.  So  successful  were  these  and  other 
similar  devices  employed,  that  the  most  frantic 
eagerness  was  shown  by  the  public  to  obtain  the 
stock ;  and  its  price  rose  by  leaps  and  bounds  to 
three  hundred  per  cent,  then  four  hundred, 
tlien  five  hundred,  and  so  on,  day  after  day  as 
the  mania  grew  wilder,  until  the  incredible  fig- 
ure of  one  thousand  per  cent  was  reached,  at 
which  price  it  was  eagerly  bought  and  reluc- 
tantly sold,  except  by  the  very  iew  who  had 
kept  their  heads  in  the  midst  of  the  general 
infatuation,  and  perceived  the  inevitable  sequel 
of  such  folly. 

John  Blunt,  the  whilom  scrivener,  was  now 
the  hero  of  tlie  hour.  His  low  birth  was  con- 
veniently overlooked,  and  the  title  of  baronet 


18 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


was  conferred  upon  him,  the  more  effectually 
to  conceal  it.  The  highest  members  of  the  aris- 
tocracy vied  with  one  another  in  showering 
attentions  upon  the  fortunate  fellow,  and  the 
populace  received  him  everywhere  with  a  favor 
that  was  little  short  of  adoration. 

A  frenzy  for  speculation,  more  furious  than 
that  which  but  a  few  months  before  had  done 
so  much  damage  in  the  French  capital,  took 
possession  of  London ;  and  Change  Alley  became 
the  vortex  of  a  human  whirlpool,  the  like  of 
which  England  had  never  witnessed  before,  and 
is  not  likely  ever  to  see  again. 

From  morning  to  night  this  narrow  street 
was  thronged  with  an  excited  crowd  of  men 
and  women  of  all  ages  and  rank,  who  forgot 
their  differences  of  opinion  and  station,  and 
joined  together  in  the  fierce  pursuit  of  fortune. 
Statesmen  deserted  their  chambers,  and  clergy- 
men their  studies,  to  throw  themselves  into  the 
arena  of  stock-gambling.  Whigs  and  Tories 
buried  the  political  hatchet  for  the  nonce,  and 
mingled  in  friendly  intercourse,  exulting  to- 
gether when  their  stocks  advanced,  or  groaning 
in  unison  if  they  fell.  Merchants  forsook  their 
offices,  and  tradesmen  their  counters,  the  doc- 


THE  SOUTH  SEA   BUBBLE. 


19 


tors  neglected  their  patients,  and  tlie  law^'ers 
allowed  their  clients  to  wait,  wliile  all  were 
whirled  giddily  along  with  the  rushing  stream 
of  speculation  that  was  to  bear  so  many  out,  to 
be  forever  ingulfed  in  the  ocean  of  bankruptcy. 
A  street  ballad  of  the  day  thus  graphically 
hits  off  the  situation  :  — 

"  Tlien  stars  and  garters  did  appear 
Among  the  meaner  rabble, 
To  buy  and  sell,  to  see  and  hear 
The  Jews  and  Gentiles  squabble. 

The  greatest  ladies  thither  came, 

And  plied  in  chariots  daily, 
Or  pawned  their  jewels  for  a  sum 

To  venture  in  the  Alley." 

The  South  Sea  Bubble  was  only  the  greatest 
among  a  crowd  of  great  bubbles.  There  is  ex- 
tant a  list  of  nearly  two  hundred  bubble  com- 
panies started  in  this  year  of  bubbles,  their 
nominal  capital  varying  from  one  million  to  ten 
million  pounds   apiece,   and   the   total   of   the 

whole  exceeding  three  hundred  million  pounds. 
"  Any  impudent  impostor,"  says  a  contem- 
porary historian,  "  whilst  the  delusion  was  at 
its  height,  needed  only  to  hire  a  room  at  some 
coffee-house  near  Exchange  Alley,  and  open  a 
subscription-book  for  somewhat  relative  to  com- 


20 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


I 


merce,  manufacture,  plantation,  or  some  sup- 
posed invention,  either  hatched  out  of  his  own 
brain  or  stolen  from  somebody  else,  having 
first  advertised  it  in  the  newspapers  of  the  pre- 
ceding day,  and  he  might  in  a  few  hours  find 
subscribers  for  one  or  two  millions  of  imagi- 
nary stock.  Many  of  the  subscribers  Avere  far 
from  believing  these  projects  feasible.  It  was 
enough  for  their  purpose  that  there  would  soon 
be  a  premium  on  the  receipts  for  those  sub- 
scriptions, when  they  generally  got  rid  of  them 
in  the  crowded  alleys  to  others  more  credulous 
than  themselves." 

Some  of  the  companies  thus  promoted  were 
for  objects  so  ridiculous  that  it  is  not  easy  for 
us  at  this  present  day  to  understand  how  any 
sane  persons  could  entertain  their  proposals  for 
a  moment,  let  alone  invest  money  in  them. 
One  company,  with  a  capital  of  three  million 
pounds,  was  "  for  insuring  to  all  masters  and 
mistresses  the  losses  they  may  sustain  by  ser- 
vants ;  "  another  was  *'  for  furnishing  merchants 
and  others  with  watches  ;  "  a  third,  with  a  capi- 
tal of  one  million  pounds,  was  "  for  a  wheel  for 
perpetual  motion  ; "  a  fourth  was  for  making  salt 
water  fresh ;  a  fifth  was  launched  by  a  clergy- 


TUE  SOUTH  SEA   HUBBLE. 


21 


man  for  the  extraordinary  object  of  importing  a 
number  of  large  jackasses  from  Spain  in  order 
to  improve   the  breed  of  mules  in  England  — 
"  as  if/'  Mr.   Fox  Bourne  grimly  adds,  "  there 
were  not  already  jackasses  enough  in  London." 
This  company  proceeded  so  far   that   negotia- 
tions were  actually  opened  for  the  purchase  of 
immense  tracts  of  marsh-lands  for  its  purposes. 
So  wildly  absurd  were  many  of  these  under- 
takings that,  according  to  Mr.  Fox  Bourne,  it  is 
hard  to  say  whether  it  was  in  jest  or  in  earnest 
that  an  advertisement  was  issued,  announcing 
that   "at   a   certain  place   on    Tuesday    next, 
books  will  be  opened  for  a  subscription  of  two 
million  pounds   for  the   invention  of   melting 
sawdust  and  chips,  and  casting  them  into  clean 
deal  boards  without  cracks  or  knots." 

For  eight  months  the  mania  raged.  Wealth 
changed  hands  with  bewildering  rapidity,  and 
was  steadily  concentrated  by  the  handful  of 
knaves,  to  whom  the  thousands  of  fools  were 
willing  dupes. 

The  great  parent  of  all  these  preposterous 
and  delusive  stocks  at  last  grew  envious  of 
their  success,  and  supposing  that  their  destruc- 
tion would  clear  the  field  for  the  South  Sea 


09 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


stock,  resolved  upon  tlieir  annihilation.  In- 
fluence was  accordingly  brought  to  bear  upon 
the  government  for  the  institution  of  legal 
proceedings  against  them,  as  being  contrary  to 
the  royal  proclamation  of  June,  1720,  which 
had  hitherto  been  disregarded  openly  and  with 
impunity. 

The  prosecutions  were  duly  commenced,  and 
at  once  every  bubble  company  against  which 
they  were  directed  collapsed  and  vanished  like 
a  soap-bubble  at  the  prick  of  a  pin.  Change 
Alley  quickly  became  deserted,  and  the  myr- 
iads of  fatuous  speculators  which  had  thronged 
it  found  themselves  suddenly  brought  face  to 
face  with  bankruptcy  and  beggary.  Hundreds 
of  families  were  forever  ruined,  and  gloom  and 
misery  everywhere  prevailed. 

By  the  irony  of  fate  it  chanced  that  the  very 
means  which  the  South  Sea  Company  had  taken 
to  crush  their  rivals  brought  about  their  own 
downfall.  Only  by  basely  fraudulent  methods 
had  the  stock  been  maintained  at  its  unnat- 
ural height;  and  when  men,  after  the  mania 
had  somewhat  subsided,  began  to  examine  more 
carefully  into  the  company's  affairs,  these  frauds 
were  revealed,  with  the  result  that  in  a  short 


THE  SOUTH  SEA   liUBBLE, 


28 


time  the  stock  fell  from  one  thousand  per  cent 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty. 

A  fresh  wave  of  ruin  now  swept  over  unfor- 
tunate England.     The  wliolc  nation  was  affected 
by   the  mighty  shock  to  public  credit.     From 
being  the  idols  of  the  populace,  Blunt  and  liis 
associates  became  objects  of  the  most  intense 
popular   hatred   and   obloquy.      King    George 
was  hurriedly  summoned  back  from  a  lioliday 
in  Germany,  as  there  seemed  actual  danger  of 
a  revolution.     On  the  assembling  of  Parliament 
the  directors  of  the  South  Sea  Company  were 
arraigned,  and  a  thorough  inquiry  made  into 
their  affairs.     As  the  fruits  of  the  inquiry  they 
were  stripped  of  all  their  ill-gotten  gains,  and 
punished   in   other    ways    for   their   misdeeds. 
Blunt  disappeared  into  opprobrious  obscurity; 
and,  although   England  was  rich  enough  and 
strong  enough  to  recover  in  due  time  from  the 
injury  he  had  done  her,  still  there  is  no  doubt 
but  that  her  financial  position  would  be  strono-er 
to-day  had  she  never  heard  of  him  nor  of  the 
South  Sea  Bubble. 


24 


THE  liOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE, 


CHAPTER   in. 


THE  TULIP   IVIANIA   IN   HOLLAND. 


Regahding  ribbons,  Charles  Dickens  sagely 
remarks  in  the  Christmas  Carol  that  they  arc 
so  cheap  you  can  make  a  brave  sliow  with 
them  for  sixpence.  The  same  thing  may  be 
said  nowadays  of  tulips.  So  easily  may  they 
be  procured,  and  with  such  little  diflficulty  cul- 
tivated in  our  gardens,  that  one  can  hardly 
understand  liow  the  bulb  from  which  these 
gorgeous  flowers  spring  could  ever  have  com- 
manded the  2^rice  of  precious  stones,  i'ct  such 
was  the  jase  in  the  land  of  the  Dutch  in  the 
first  third  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

Could  Conrad  Gesner  have  been  able  to  fore- 
cast the  future,  and  get  a  prophetic  glimpse  of 
the  woes  his  praises  of  the  flower  he  saw  for 
the  first  time  in  the  garden  of  Counsellor  Her- 
wart  were  fated  to  bring  upon  his  countrymen, 
he  would  no  doubt  have  kept  his  discovery  to 
himself. 

Counsellor  Herwart  lived  in  Augsburg,  and 


[i     i 


T^IE  TULIP  MANIA    IN  HOLLAND. 


25 


was  famous  for  his  collection  of  rare  exot- 
ics. Among  them  were  some  brilliant  flowers 
grown  from  the  bulb  sent  him  by  a  friend  in 
Constantinople,  where  their  beauties  had  long 
been  appreciated. 

Gesner,  on  his  return  home,  spread  abroad  the 
praises  of  this  plant  so  effectually  that,  in  the 
course  of  the  next  few  years,  tulips  were  much 
sought  after  by  the  wealthy,  especially  in  Ger- 
many and  Holland.  Rich  folk  at  Amsterdam 
did  not  begrudge  sending  direct  to  Constanti- 
nople for  bull)s,  and  were  quite  willing  to  pay 
big  prices  for  them. 

As  years  went  by  the  tulip  continued  to  in- 
crease in  reputation,  until  it  wjis  as  incumbent 
upon  persons  of  fortune  to  have  a  collection  of 
them  as  to  keep  a  carriage. 

Nor  was  the  interest  in  them  confined  to  the 
wealthy.  The  rage  for  their  possession  soon 
spread  to  the  middle  classes  of  society ;  and 
merchants  and  shopkeepers,  even  of  moderate 
means,  began  to  vie  with  each  other  in  the  size 
and  strangeness  of  their  collection,  and  in  the 
preposterous  prices  paid  for  bulbs.  A  trader  at 
Haarlem  was  known  to  pay  one-half  of  his  for- 
tune for  a  single  root,  not  with  the  design  of 


'2i\ 


nw  /i'f»v  « \(  r  n/'  i  tnnn  lici':. 


Mtllin;;;  it  n}*;:ui\  n(  ii  prolil,  ImiI  MJinpIv  (o  riilli- 
\:ilo  i(  in  \\\H  own  I'on.mM  vnltMN  I'm-  llio  mlniinv- 
tion  o{  \\\H  U\o\u\h. 

In  «^\pliin;\hi»n  of  IIijm  «'\lrnor«liniir\  inlnrMl. 
'\\\  w  sn»j',lo  vinnMx  ol'  plunl,  tlio  llow  nij;  Ihh'h 
i'^i  i'owh'N    niiW    1<(>  ipiolotl  :  — 

Hill    «,u»(«M\.    lull   \>\    y\\i\\\   MMtl   full   of   phiy; 
Tho   \\»>ilil  t';«u'I    !«litM\    i)   «lyi>   lull    lit'it'   liuM  pluro, 
N;l\,    In    nrw    mivltiii"*.   she  run   thinu'.t*   licv  lacr; 
IMirplt'   .in.l   >;(»M   ;u  I'   l<oil\   l<iM\i';i(li    luM    euro, 
'V\\o  \\k'\w*\   n<MMllo»tMK   sl\t'  lovi's  lo  wour; 
Uor  »>nl\    st\»(ly    is  1<»  plo.jsi'  iho  cy. 
And  lo  i>\itsliin«»  tho  ii'^it    in   IIiumv." 

Unt.  po(Mi»'  ;\s  i1m»  porlniit  is,  (he  |)ros(<  of 
Horl\n\;\nn  jmoUmMv  j:ot>  ni<;n«M'  llio  mink. 
"  ri\<M\^  ;\ro  l\*\v  plants."  \w  s;\ys,  *' which  m'- 
i|nirt\  tl\nni>;h  arridiMit,  wiMknt^ss,  ov  <lis(MVst«, 
sv>  n\any  \  ;\ri«\o;\tions  as  tho  tnlip.  When  nn- 
rnltivattHl.  auil  in  its  natnral  slat(\  it  is  almost 
i>f  t>no  rv>lor,  has  lari;i*  Umm^s,  anvi  an  i^xtraordi- 
nary  loni;;  ston\.  Whtni  it  has  Ih>imi  wcaUtMUMJ 
In  oiiltivation,  it  l>oron\os  nion^  aonuMhlo  in 
tlio  ovo  of  iho  llorist.  Tho  ju^tals  aro  tluni 
palov.  sniallor.  anvl  nii>i'o  ilivoi'sitlotl  in  hue,  and 
tho  loavos  at'qniiv  a  softor  ofivon  iH>hn'.  Tims, 
this  mastorpiooo  oi  onliniv,  tho  nioro  beautiful 


rilK  rui.ll'    M.\NI\    IN    llnl,l,\Nh 


'11 


i 


ir  InriiM,  jMouH  MM  MMnIi  !lin  wnildT;  mo  (Imf, 
willi  tlio  |M<MilrMt,  kKjII  iiikI  iiioMt  ni.K>riil  iith'M- 
I  inn,  ii.  cull  M(')i.i('««Iy  Im  (riiiiHjdiiiili'fl,  or  nvi'ii 
Kt'pl.  iilivc." 

Any  niin  i'aiiiirDir  willi  tlir  iiiodcrii  Miiiiiifi,  For 
onOiiil  jM'owiii)^  Mini  rollmliiiK  iniiv.l.  Jit.  onrn 
Hco  llin  Hccrrt  of  llin  old  tjliin  ciii/n  f»ir  liilipM, 
iiltlioii|di  il,  i.M  iio|.  DiMy  lo  iiiMh'i'HtiuMl  )i.  whole; 
|H'o|>l«'    Immii}^   iiifcrhMJ    willi    il.  }i.l.  oiwn. 

Yrt  lino   it.   in    llinl.   in    H'»ll'»   llio   riit^o  Jiiiiori}^ 

tllO     |)lll(ll      lor     llin     jiOMHOKHioM     of     lillM     V!l.ric|,i«'M 

WIIM  HO  jnciil.  lliiii  llin  oirjiniiry  iiirJiiHliinH  of  llm 
coniiliy  I'll)  iiilo  iMMdiM't,,  hikI  iIm)  {lOpiiJiitiriM, 
down  lo  llin  loW(\4l>  I'.'iiikM,  ninhiuknd  iti  Mio  tulip 
tradin 

(•liailnH  Miickiiy,  lo  wliorn  I  \vu\  iiidnhtcd  for 
mucli  (»f  my  iiifoifiiiilioii,  sliiln.s  l.}i;i,t,  prinns  iohm 
ni[>idly  uiilil,  in  llin  yniir  H»i{r>,  pfuHoiiH  wn,rM 
known  lo  invosl.  a  fortiinn,  of  on(5  liundrc^d  llioii- 
siMid  lloiijiH  on  Uin  pnrcliasn  of  forty  rr »o ts !  ft 
}KU'.ani<5  n(M'.('HSiiiy  to  jippraisfj  IIk;  hnlh-i  hy  their 
weight  in  jxiiits,  a  jx-rit  \n\\\\\f  Ichh  than  a  f,'rairi, 
just  as  if  they  vv(M(5  as  prccionn  a.^  diamonds, 
whoso  wei^dit  is  told  in   tiny  carats. 

Wlieii  the  mania  was  at  its  Imij^'ht  a  tulij)  of 
tlio  species  called  "  Admiral  Ijiefken,"  weighing 


28 


THE  BOMANCE  OF  COMMEEC. 


four  hundred  perits,  was  worth  four  thousand 
four  liundred  florins ;  an  Admiral  Van  der  Eyck 
of  four  hundred  and  forty-six  perits  was  worth 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty  florins. 
For  a  Viceroy  of  four  hundred  perits  three 
thousand  florins  had  to  be  paid  ;  while,  most 
precious  of  all,  a  Semper  Augustus  weighing 
but  two  liundred  perits  was  thought  to  be  very 
chepp  at  five  thousand  five  liundred  florins ! 

Of  this  last  variety  it  is  related  that  early  in 
1638  there  were  only  two  roots  to  be  had  in  all 
Holland ;  and  so  eager  were  speculators  to  ob- 
tain them  that  the  fee  simple  of  twelve  acres  of 
choice  building-ground  in  Haarlem  was  ofltered 
for  the  one,  and  the  other  sold  for  four  thou- 
sand six  hundred  florins,  a  new  carriage,  two 
fine  gray  horses,  and  a  complete  set  of  harness. 

An  even  more  remarkable  case  of  bartering, 
although  the  values  involved  were  not  so  large, 
is  recorded  by  Hunting,  a  contemporary  author, 
who  wrote  a  folio  volume  of  over  one  thousand 
pages  upon  the  tulipomania.  For  one  single 
root  of  the  rare  species  called  the  "Viceroy," 
an  eager  collector,  who  would  seem  to  Lave 
been  a  country  gentleman,  exchanged  the  fol- 
lowing articles :  — 


TUE  TULIP  MANIA  IN  HOLLAND.        29 


tre, 


fie 


Two  lasts  of  wheat  and  four  of  rye  ;  four  fat 
oxen,  tight  fat  swine,  and  twelve  fat  sheep ; 
two  liogsheads  of  wine  and  four  tuns  of  beer ; 
two  tons  of  butter,  and  one  tliousand  pounds  of 
cheese  ;  a  complete  bed,  a  suit  of  clothes,  and  a 
drinking-cup,  —  the  total  value  being  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  florins. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  worthy  enthusiast 
did  not,  like  the  man  in  the  Master's  parable, 
sell  quite  all  that  he  had,  but  retained  at  least 
sufficient  to  be  clothed  upon,  and  to  eat,  drink, 
and  be  merry  withal,  and  then  to  lie  down  and 
sleep  in  triumphant  possession  of  liis  prize. 

As  is  always  the  case  with  popular  manias, 
there  were  some  amusing  incidents,  of  which 
the  records  have  been  preserved.  Thus  in  the 
Travels  of  Blai7ivllle  it  is  told  how  a  wealthy 
merchant,  who  took  no  little  pride  in  liis  rare 
tulips,  upon  one  occasion  received  a  very  valu- 
able consigimient  of  merchandise  from  tlie  Le- 
vant. Tlie  news  of  its  safe  arrival  in  port  was 
brought  him  by  a  sailor ;  and  the  merchant,  in 
reward  for  the  welcome  message,  gave  its 
bearer  a  fine  red  lierring  for  his  breakfast. 

Now,  this  same  Jack  Tar,  it  seems,  was  par- 
ticularly fond  of  onions ;  and,  noticing  a  bulb 


30 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


It 


very  like  his  favorite  vegetable  lying  on  tlie 
desk,  lie  slyly  seized  the  opportunity  to  slip  it 
into  his  poeket,  thinking  it  would  be  a  very 
niee  relisli  iov  his  herring. 

lie  got  clear  off  with  his  prize,  and  hastened 
CO  the  harbor  to  enjoy  his  breakfast ;  but  hardly 
had  he  disappeared  before  the  merchant  missed 
his  precious  Semper  Augustus  bulb,  worth  at 
least  three  thousand  florins  ! 

Great  then  was  the  connnotion.  Vigorous 
search  was  at  once  instituted.  Presently  a 
bright  clerk  suggested  the  sailor.  In  hot  pur- 
suit went  the  merchant,  followed  by  his  em- 
ployees; and  lo  !  seated  on  a  coil  of  rope  at  the 
head  of  the  qua}-,  tiiey  found  poor  innocent 
Jack,  masticating  the  onion  with  much  apprecia- 
tion, little  dreamiuix  that  the  value  of  his  break- 
fast  would  have  j)rovisioned  his  whole  ship's 
crew  for  a  twelvemonth  ! 

As  Charles  ]VIackay  puts  it :  Antony  caused 
pearls  to  be  mixed  in  wine  to  drink  the  health 
of  Cleopatra,  Sir  Richard  Whittington  was  as 
foolishly  magniiicent  in  honor  of  King  Henry 
v.,  and  Sir  Thomas  Gresham  toasted  Good 
Queen  Bess,  when  she  opened  the  Royal  Ex- 
change, with  a  bumper  of  Burgundy  in  which  a 


Till:  rrur  mama  i\  holla xd. 


oL 


clianioiid  hiicl  been  dissolved  ;  but  tlie  })ieakfa.st 
of  the  tliieving  sailor  was  as  lavisli  of  cost  as 
any  of  tliem.  He  liad  an  Jid vantage,  too,  over 
his  wasteful  predecessors.  'J'lieir  ii;vAnH  did  not 
improve  their  wine,  while  the  tnlip  went  very 
well  with  his  herring.  But,  alas  !  he  had  to 
expiate  his  offence  by  spending  some  months  in 
prison. 

Another  good  story  is  that  related  of  an 
English  traveller,  who  was  a  bit  of  an  amateur 
botanist.  He  had  come  to  Holland,  knowing 
little  or  nothing  of  the  tulipomania ;  and  while 
going  through  the  conservatories  of  a  wealthy 
Dutchman  he  chanced  uj)on  a  bulb  the  like  of 
which  he  had  never  seen  before. 

Moved  by  scientific  ardor,  he  took  out  his 
penknife,  and  peeled  off  the  coats  of  the  bulb 
until  he  had  reduced  it  one-half  in  size,  and 
then  he  cut  it  into  halves. 

At  that  moment  the  owner,  whose  attention 
had  been  temporarily  elsewhere,  ponnced  upon 
him,  crying  out  if  he  knew  what  he  was  doing. 
"Peeling  a  most  extraordinaiy  onion,"  was  the 
calm  reply.  ''Bonder  en  Bletzen!''  roared 
the  Dutchman,  "  it's  an  Admiral  Van  der 
Eyck  !  "  -  ''  Oh  !  really  !  "  responded  the  Eng- 


dp' 


32 


THE  nOMAyCE  OF  COMMEIiCE. 


lisliman  courteously,  "  I  must  miike  a  note  of 
it;''  and  out  came  note-book  and  pencil.  En- 
raged beyond  measure,  the  merchant  seized  the 
astonished  botanist  by  the  collar,  shouting, 
*'  Come  before  the  magistrate  with  me ; "  and, 
in  spite  of  all  remonstrances,  dragged  liim  into 
court,  where,  to  his  profound  dismay,  he  learned 
that  the  '"  most  extraordinary  onion  "  was  worth 
four  thousand  florins,  and  he  was  lodged  in 
prison  until  he  gave  security  for  the  payment 
of  this  amount. 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  henceforth  botany 
ceased  to  have  the  attraction  for  him  it  once 
possessed. 

Tulipomania  reached  its  zenith  in  the  year 
163G,  when  the  belief  seemed  to  have  seized 
upon  the  Dutch  that  the  passion  for  the  bulbs 
would  last  forever,  and  that  the  wealthy  from 
all  parts  of  the  world  would  send  to  Holland 
for  them,  and  pay  whatever  prices  were  asked. 
Nobles,  citizens,  farmers,  mechanics,  seamen, 
footmen,  maid-servants,  and  even  chimney- 
sweeps and  old-clothes  women,  —  all  dabbled 
in  tulips.  People  of  all  grades  converted  their 
property  into  cash  to  invest  in  flowers.  Houses 
and  land  were  a  drug  in  the  market;   adjoin- 


I 


jLl 


I 


THE   TULIP  MAMA    IN  HOLLAND. 


33 


ing  coiinliitvs  ciiiiglit  tlio  iiiiuctioii,  and  money 
ponred  into  Holland  from  all  directions.  Tlie 
operations  of  the  trade  became  so  extensive  and 
involved  that  it  ^vas  necessary  to  draw  up  a 
code  of  laws  for  the  direction  of  the  dealers. 
Notaries  were  api)ointed,  who  devoted  them- 
selves exclusively  to  the  interests  of  the 
trade. 

At  last,  however,  the  more  prudent  began  to 
see  that  this  state  of  affairs  could  not  go  on 
indefniitely.     Rich  people  no  longer  bought  the 
flowers  for  their  collections,   but  to  sell  them 
again  at  a  cent  per  cent   profit.     It  was  per- 
ceived that  somebody  must  lose  fearfully  in  the 
long  run.     As  this  conviction  spread,  the  prices 
fell,  never  to  rise  again.     Confidence  was  de- 
stroyed, and  a  universal  panic,  as  wild  as  the 
original  mania,  set  in.     The  consequences  were 
appalling.     Every  day  made  lai-ge  additions  to 
the   list   of   bankrupts    and   defaulters.      Hun- 
dreds who  had  imagined  themselves  established 
for  life  suddenly  realized  that  all  they  had  was 
a  handful  of  bulbs  that  nobody  would  buy,  and 
which  would  hardly  i)rocure  the  necessaries  of 
existence.     The   cry  of  genuine  distress   rang 
through   the   land,   and    the    government   was 


J 


%. 


31 


77//';    liOMAXCK   or  COMMKIICE. 


Jippciilofl   to  thai  nu'JisuicH  luiglil  bo  lakoii  to 
rosloro  public  ciodit. 

lUit,  after  months  of  weary  waiting,  ilic  au- 
tlioiities  practically  adniilteil  their  [)owerless- 
iiess,  anil  the  pet>plo  were  fain  to  struggle  out 
of  the  linancial  sloimh  into  which  their  infatua- 
tion  had  plunged  them  as  best  they  could.  In 
due  time,  of  course,  matters  did  readjust  them- 
selves; but  the  eonuuerce  of  the  country  suf- 
fered a  severe  shock,  from  which  it  was  many 
years  in  recovering. 


77//';   DMUKN    l<:\riU)ITlON. 


86 


ClIAPTEK  IV. 


THE   DAKIEN    EXI'EDITION. 

The  Isllnniis  of  I'jiJianiJi,  or  Diiricn,  is  be- 
yond a  doubt  one  of  tlio  most  iiitc^resling,  as  it 
is  one  of  tlie  most  important,  bits  of  terra  firma 
on    tliis    round    globe,       Tlio    eoinieeting    link 
between    tlie    eontinents   of    North    and    South 
Anieriea,  it  is  also  the  barrier  tliat  divides  the 
Atlantie  from  the   Taeilie  OeeJin,  and,  in  faet, 
one   side   of  the  ^vorld  from  the  otlier.     From 
the  time  of  its  diseovery  and  oeeupation  by  the 
Spaniards,  it  has  been  a  matter  of  general  be- 
lief tliat  whoever  had  eommand  of  this  narrow 
neek  of  land  lield  tlie  key  of  the  eommeree  of 
the  world.     Here   would    naturally  be  eoneen- 
trated  tlie  mutual  trade  of  the  Atlantic  and  tlie 
Pacific  coasts  of  America.     Moreover,  it  would 
necessarily  be  an  imjiortant  stage  in  the  short- 
est  route   between   Europe   and  the  Indies,  as 
well   as   the   mighty   islands    lying   far  to  the 
south  of  the  equator. 

Little    wonder,     then,    that    the     Spaniards 


30 


TilK   liOMAyCK  OF  i'OMMKliCE. 


waiitod  to  koop  llio  isthiims  to  llK'insrlvcs, 
iiiul  .'ilwiiys  (litl  Uioir  very  Ih'sI,  oowiirils  though 
they  wore  cxi'0[)t  avIkmi  greatly  in  the  majority, 
to  make  it  eminently  unpleasant  for  anybody 
who  sou<jfht  to  share  its  advantaijfes  with  tliem ; 
and  in  line  and  striking  eontrast  to  their  miser- 
able dog-in-the-mangtn"  polic}',  for  they  really 
put  their  s})lendiv.  opportunities  to  little  use, 
was  the  spirit  in  whieh  William  Patersou  eon- 
ceived  the  famous  Darieii  project  that  played 
so  prominent  a  part  in  the  history  of  Scotland 
at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

This  William  Patersou  was  a  very  different 
t3'pe  of  man  from  that  notorious  speculator, 
John  Law,  ^^  hose  doings  liave  been  already  told 
in  this  series ;  and  yet  his  vast  project  proved 
hardly  less  disastrous  in  its  outcome  than  the 
other's.  He  is  generally  credited  with  being  the 
founder  of  the  Bank  of  England,  and  this  is  in 
hirge  measure  true.  He  certainly  deserves  the 
entire  honor  for  laying  down  the  only  true  basis 
for  a  bank-note  currency  ;  viz.,  that  the  bank 
issuinof  notes  should  alwavs  have  on  hand  a  suf- 
ficient  supply  of  gold  to  enable  it  to  redeem  in 
gold  all  the  notes  that  the  daily  operation  of 
business  might  bring  to  its  counter.      He  was 


rni']  DA  nil': y  expedition. 


37 


If- 

iu 
)f 


Olio  of  tlio  twenty-four  directors  iit  tlic  opciiin^^ 
of  tlio  ]);iiik,  l)ut  iippciirs  to  liavo  8old  out  not 
long"  JifU'r,  1111(1,  Avitli  liis  nioiuiy  in  luind,  to 
lijivo  looked  about  liini  for  some  way  of  invest- 
\\\yr  it  tliat  would  be  for  tlie  publie  good. 

Now,  tbose  were  tlic  days  of  vexation  mo- 
nopolies and  irritating  restrictions  in  commerce. 
The  trade  of  Kiifrland  with  the  distant  rej'ions 
of  the  globe  was  in  the  jealous  grasp  of  two 
great  corporations,  —  the  East  India  Com2)any 
and  the  African  C()m[)any,  —  which,  although 
they  were  at  deadly  enmity  with  each  other, 
heartily  agreed  in  crushing  every  free-trader 
who  dared  to  intrude  witliin  the  limits  of  their 
territory.  l*aterson  was  an  ardent  free-trader. 
He  believed  his  mission  to  be  the  emancipation 
of  commerce  from  the  Imrtful  restraints  laid 
upon  it  by  miscalculating  sellishness ;  and  it 
was  by  the  creation  of  a  great  free  port  at  the 
Isthmus  of  Darien,  open  to  the  trade  of  the 
world,  that  he  hoped  to  accomplish  his  benevo- 
lent purpose. 

Accordingly,  in  the  year  1695,  he  obtained 
the  passage  through  the  Scottish  Parliament  of 
an  Act  for  the  incorporation  of  "  The  Company 
of  Scotland  trading  to  Africa  and  the  Indies," 


88 


THE  liOMAyCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


popularly  known  us  the  "Darieii  Company." 
Tills  company  was  granted  very  extensive 
j)owers,  and  had  a  capital  of  ,six  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds,  one-half  of  which,  it  was  sti2)U- 
hitcd,  must  ever  be  lield  l)y  Scotsmen  residing 
in  their  own  country,  thus  insuring  the  perma- 
nence of  the  national  character  of  the  under- 
taking. 

As  it  turned  out,  liowever,  there  was  no  need 
of  this  provision,  for,  when  the  subscription- 
books  were  opened  in  London,  there  came  such 
a  rush  of  applicants  for  shares  that  the  stock 
was  soon  all  taken  up ;  and  this  so  aroused  the 
hostility  of  the  English  companies  that  they 
called  upon  the  House  of  Commons  to  assist 
them  in  crushing  their  Scotch  rival.  The 
House  of  Commons  yielded  to  the  clamor,  and 
by  threats  of  proceedings  so  alarmed  the  Lon- 
don subscribers  that  they  all  backed  out,  and 
forfeited  their  holdings. 

This  hostile  action  roused  the  national  spirit 
of  Scotland.  The  English  had  withdrawn  — 
well,  what  of  that  ?  Scotland  would  go  on,  and 
keep  to  herself  the  glory  and  all  the  other  re- 
wards of  the  great  national  undertaking.  In 
proof  of  their  earnestness  the  Scotch  thereupon 


THE  DAUIEN  EXPEDITION. 


89 


subscribed  for  anotlicr  oiio  biindrcd  tliousaiid 
pounds  of  stock,  nmking  four  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds  in  all.  Sul)sequently  an  attempt 
was  made  to  place  the  balance  of  the  stock  in 
Holland;  but  again  the  niacliinations  of  the 
English  companies  interfered,  and  the  whole 
burden  was  left  to  bo  borne  by  Scotland. 

Harassed  and  delayed  by  this  hostility  and 
other  causes,  it  was  not  until  1G08  that  tho 
company  proceeded  to  carry  out  the  main  pur- 
pose of  its  formation.  In  the  month  of  July  a 
little  fleet  of  three  vessels,  having  on  board  over 
a  thousand  picked  men,  set  sail  from  Leith  amid 
briglit  sunshine  and  the  cheers  and  prayers  of 
a  vast  assemblage  gathered  on  the  wharves  to 
bid  them  "  God  speed." 

William  Paterson's  heart  was  full  of  joy  and 
hope,  as  he  now  saw  before  him  the  prospect 
of  the  early  realization  of  his  long-cherished 
design.  Hitherto  the  selfish  Spaniards,  and  the 
hardly  less  selfish  British,  had  sought  to  mo- 
nopolize the  commerce  of  the  New  World.  He 
had  in  view  nothing  less  than  tlie  complete 
reversal  of  sucli  a  policy.  The  ships  of  all 
nations  were  to  be  perfectly  free  to  the  new 
port  he  would  found  at  Darien.     At  that  fa- 


40 


THE  JiOMAM'i:  OF  COMMKRCK. 


vorcd  spot  the  mcicluiiidiso  from  all  countries 
might  concentrate,  and  Scotland  calndy  take 
her  seat  as  the  great  (juecn  of  connnerce,  show- 
ering the  Wcssings  of  ahnnchince  aronnd   Ijcr. 

Suiih  was  liis  dream,  a  noble  one  in  every  way. 
Ahis,  tliat  it  slionhl  liave  failed  so  j)itifnlly  of 
fuUilmentl  After  an  nneventfnl  voyage,  the 
vessels  reached  the  isthnnis  in  November,  and 
landed  their  passengers  at  a  ]n'oje(!ting  point  of 
the  (Inlf  of  Darien,  which  had  previonsly  been 
selected  as  the  site  of  the  fort  and  settlement. 

The  spot  was  in  many  respects  well  chosen. 
It  was  a  long  rock-edged  peninsnla,  stretching 
southwards  nearly  half-way  across  the  gulf, 
and  united  to  the  mainland  at  the  north  by  a 
mirrow  neck  of  land  easily  fortified.  At  the 
western  point  a  strong  fort  was  built  to  com- 
mand the  gulf,  which  the  buccaneers  com- 
mended as  ''  a  very  crabbed  bold." 

The  peninsula  was  occupied  as  a  fortified 
centre,  not  for  settlement,  it  being  arid  and 
barren.  An  indelinite  district  stretching  inland 
was  to  form  the  colony,  and  to  bear  tlie  name  of 
New  Caledonia.  Two  sites  for  towns  were 
selected,  the  one  to  be  called  New  Edinburgh, 
the  other  New  St.  Andrews.     At  the  time  of 


m- 


TlIK   DAIilKY   i:.\' PETITION. 


41 


of 


the  arlv('Mtur(»rs'  .'irriviil  llin  wcatlicr  was  pfcMiial 
and  liciiUliy,  llu!  vci^^'talioii  luxuriant  and  lu-au- 
tifiil,  (liii  natives  kind  and  liospitalilf,  and  (ivtuy- 
tliinj^  stunned  to  smilo  upon  tliu  untuquist!,  aiul 
proniiso  (!onii)lct(3  succuiss. 

But  the  socmIs  of  failure  w(n(5  pn^st^nt  from 
tho  start.  Whatever  little  the  JMit^lish  kiic^w 
about  the  plantinj^  of  colonies,  the  Scotch  kinsw 
notliiiii,'-  at  all,  and  there  was  a  pitiful  lack  of 
the  right  kind  of  oi'ganization  about  the  cxi)e- 
dition.  There  was  no  arrangement  for  govern- 
ment and  the  preservation  of  order.  All  had 
apparently  bc'en  left  to  chance.  In  the  same 
liaphazard  fashion  liad  the  goods  for  barter 
been  selected ;  and  they  were  a  marvellously 
mixed,  and,  npon  tho  whole,  highly  unsuitable, 
collection  of  commodities,  such  as  axes,  iron 
wedges,  knives ;  smiths',  carpenters',  and  coop- 
ers' tools;  barrels,  guns,  pistols,  combs,  shoes, 
liats,  paper,  pipes,  etc.,  one  vessel  carrying  over 
four  thousand  pounds  worth  of  these  articles. 

Hardly  had  the  colonists  established  them- 
selves on  dry  land  when  dissensions  within  and 
dangers  without  made  their  appearance.  The 
party  was  composed  of  very  various  elements. 
Along  with  political   enthusiasts  and  men   of 


42 


THE  nOMANCE  OF  COMMEBCE. 


rigid  pitty  and  virtue  were  men  of  quite  an- 
other stamp,  —  hardy  sailors  with  consciences 
as  tough  and  weather-beaten  as  tlieir  bodies, 
and  who  had  learned  their  seamanship  among 
the  buccaneers ;  in  plain  words,  pirates,  who 
were  ready  for  any  deed  of  blood  or  rapine. 
These  "tarpaulins,"  as  Paterson  called  them, 
soon  gained  that  ascendency  which  the  bold  and 
reckless  are  apt  to  have ;  and  their  influence, 
aided  by  the  fascination  of  a  wild,  lawless  life, 
had  a  very  demoralizing  effect,  especially  upon 
the  young  men  of  the  expedition. 

The  leaders  liad  hard  work  keeping  order, 
and  every  day  the  task  became  more  difficult; 
while,  to  add  to  their  trouble,  they  presently 
came  into  collision  with  the  Spaniards,  who 
regarded  them  as  unauthorized  intruders  upon 
their  private  property,  for  so  they  then  consid- 
ered the  whole  of  Soutli  America.  These  Span- 
iards had  considerable  cities  to  the  north,  south, 
and  east  of  tlie  Scots'  settlement,  and  they  did 
not  propose  to  submit  tamely  to  such  an  inva- 
sion. Moreover,  despite  the  efforts  of  Paterson 
and  his  associates  to  justify  their  coming,  and 
to  make  clear  how  entirely  lionorable  were  their 
intentions,  the  Dons  persisted  in  classing  them 


THE  DARIEY  EXPEDITION. 


43 


with  Morgan,  Sharpe,  Ringrose,  and  the  other 
dare-devil  freebooters,  who  had  not  so  long  be- 
fore stormed  and  sacked  their  treasure  cities, 
and  inflicted  appalling  loss  of  blood  and  bullion. 

Consequently,  wlien,  early  in  March,  1G99, 
a  small  vessel  belonging  to  the  company  ran 
into  thf  port  of  Cartagena  for  repairs,  the 
commander  and  crew  were  immediately  seized 
by  the  Spaniards,  put  in  irons,  and  witliout 
much  delay  condemned  to  deatli,  as  being  pi- 
rates. Hai)pily,  through  the  intervention  of  the 
Briti.^a  government,  the  sentence  was  not  exe- 
cuted, but  it  showed  plainly  the  temper  of  the 
real  masters  of  the  situation.  The  Scotch  in- 
truders could  liope  for  no  mercy  at  their  hands, 
once  they  had  a  good  excuse  for  making  war 
upon  them. 

But  worse  even  than  internal  dissensions  and 
external  foes  were  the  attacks  of  pestilence  and 
famine.  With  the  approach  of  the  liot  season 
the  evil  influences  of  tlio  country  and  climate 
began  to  work.  All  tliat  is  deadly  in  the  pesti- 
lential elements  of  tropical  America  wculd 
seem  to  be  concentrated  on  the  Isthmus  of  Da- 
rien,  as  the  toilers  on  the  ill-fated  Panama 
Canal  have  learned  to  their  cost.     Up  to  the 


44 


77//<;  lioyrANd':  of  commkhce. 


present  it  lias  (UMied  pennaiuMit  setllement  by 
Europeans.  NarfDw  jis  it  is,  its  forests  arc 
patliless,  and  its  dense  shroud  of  matted  and 
rotting  vegetation,  with  all  its  animate  and 
inanimate  iu)rro'*s,  suUenly  opposes  the  opera- 
tioiis  oL  man. 

'J'lie  unliap[)y  Seotelunen,  wlio  had  liojied, 
after  linisiiing  thcMr  fortilieatio.\s,  to  sally  fortli 
in  seareh  of  irold,  found  that  the  sad  task  of 
burying  their  dead,  and  of  seeking  for  some 
addition  to  their  raindlv  diminishiii«x  store  of 
food,  demamUnl  all  their  energies.  When  June 
came  without  bringing  any  news  of  the  ex- 
pected re-enforeements  from  Scotland,  the 
wretched  colonists  decided  to  desert  the  settle- 
ment, antl  to  set  forth  in  three  sliips  witli  no 
more  delinite  object  than  to  reach  the  lirst  port 
whither  Providence  should  ouide  them. 

One  of  the  shi[)s  got  over  to  Jamaica.  The 
other  two  made  their  wa}-  uj)  to  Nt>w  York, 
where  they  arrived  in  a  pitiful  condition,  and 
their  crews  and  passengers  became  objects  of 
charity  to  the  kindly  disposed  people  of  the 
place. 

Now,  just  when  the  famine-stricken  remnant 
of  the  colonists  was  giving  up  the  undertaking 


Till':  DAIilKN    KXP EDITION. 


45 


The 
York, 

:ind 
'Is  of 
)f    the 


in  (lospair,  tlic  (•()m[)aMy  at  liomo  was  (ittinj^'  out 
a  socond  (;xp(Mli(i(ni.  Two  vcisscls  w(irc  du- 
HpattOuMl  in  May,  1<UU),  four  otli(3is  folIow(!(l 
in  August,  and  a  third  Mciit  in  S('j>t(!nd)or. 
Iinau^inii  llio  disajjpointiniMJt  and  depression  <>f 
this  second  (expedition,  when,  on  its  anival  at 
Darien,  instead  of  hiding  re(;oiv(!d  witli  true 
Scottish  liospitality  hy  a  [)r()sp(;rous,  liappy  coni- 
nuinity,  tlieri;  was  notliing  to  ])e  seen  save  a 
deserted  and  dismanthMl  fort,  th(;  ruins  of  Ji  vil- 
laj^e,  and  a  graveyaid  sown  thick  witli  nusnio- 
riiils  of  the  (head.  Yet  they  liad  the  conraj^»'e 
.ind  resolution  to  stay,  and  take  tlie  clianee  of 
a  liappier  fate  than  tlieir  prechecessors. 

But  tlie  fates,  unmoved  hy  their  sturdy  sj)iiit, 
were  not  dis[)osed  to  deal  any  more  kindly  with 
tliem  than  witli  the  otlujrs.  The  same  causes  of 
failure  were  present  and  no  h^ss  potent.  In 
addition  thereto  the  sluj^i^ish  S[)aniards  were  at 
last  bestirrini^  thems(;lv(;s,  and  with  (tharacter- 
istic  dj^liheration  preparing,'  jin  armament  on 
the  other  side  of  the  isthmus,  which  in  due 
time  was  to  clos(i  around  and  destroy  the  little 
settlement  as  a  huge  hear  might  crush  a  terrier 
in  its  mighty  end)race. 

Each  day  tlic  gloom  deepened ;  and  although 


46 


THE  ItOMAXCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


the  Scots,  Icarniiic^  of  the  projected  attack, 
sought  to  ward  it  off  ])V  strikincr  tlie  first  blow, 
and  did  distiiiguisli  themselves  by  putting  to 
flight  a  Jiiiu'h  superior  force  at  Tubacanti,  on 
the  Kiver  Santa  Maria,  yet  when  the  victors 
returned  laden  with  spoils,  it  was  to  find  the 
poor  little  colony  blockaded  by  a  number  of 
men-of-war. 

There  was  no  alternative  but  to  surrender; 
and  the  Spaniards,  only  too  glad  to  be  rid  of 
their  unwelcome  captives,  willingly  allowed 
them  to  get  away  as  expeditiously  as  they 
could  manage.  This  capitulation  was  the  vir- 
tual destruction  of  the  great  Indian  and  Afri- 
can Company,  as  well  as  the  colony  it  had 
attempted  to  plant,  and  of  the  grand  scheme 
for  a  world's  free  port.  There  was  fierce  in- 
dignation felt  in  Scotland  at  the  loss  both  of 
money  and  of  national  honor  the  lamentable 
failure  of  the  enterprise  involved ;  but  there 
seemed  no  way  of  redeeming  either,  and  so  the 
Darien  Expedition  went  to  join  the  catalogue 
of  famous  though  futile  undertakings. 


p  .1 


I 

I 


J 


attack, 
blow, 
ng  to 
iti,  on 
/ictors 
id  the 
ber  of 

ender ; 

lid  of 

11  owed 

i   they 

lie  vir- 

l  Afri- 

it  had 

chenie 

ce  in- 

oth  of 

table 

there 

so  the 

alogue 


r 


m 


SIR   FRANCIS  DRAKE. 


'A 


3^ 


i 


CHASE  OF  THE  SPAN  IS!  f  a.lLLKOXS. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE   CHASE   OF   THE   SPANISH   GALLEONS. 


What  a  thrill  of  romantic  interest  these  two 
words,  "Spanish  galleons,"  excite  I  The  mo- 
ment we  see  them  they  bring  np  before  ns  vis- 
ions of  briorht  bars  of  silver  and  jjlisteninor 
ingots  of  gold,  with  diamo:ids  and  pearls  as  big 
as  walnuts,  and  emeralds  larger  than  pigeons' 
eggs,  in  heaping  liandfuls,  such  as  gladdened 
the  eyes  and  enriched  the  pockets  of  Francis 
Drake  and  the  other  freebooters  whose  ex- 
ploits have  been  so  brilliantly  celebrated  by 
Charles  Kingsley  in  his  Westward  Ho.  They 
remind  us,  too,  of  daring  deeds  at  sea,  when  in 
vessels  smaller  than  a  hrst-class  fishincf  schooner 
of  to-day.  and  not  half  so  seaworthy  or  so  ea- 
sily handled,  the  British  mariners  flung  them- 
selves upon  the  huge  Spanisli  ships,  whose 
poops  towered  high  above  their  decks,  and  cap- 
tured them  by  the  sheer  impetuosity  of  their 
attack. 

And  it  must  not  be  forfjotten  that  it  was  in 


48 


rilK   Ii().\fAN(f:  OF  (OMMKliCK. 


llic  quest  of  11k\so  very  galleons  along  tlio 
const  of  South  America,  and  in  the  liglitino-  of 
tlieni  in  the  English  Channel,  when  the  (Jreat 
Armada  horo  down  so  menacingly  upon  poor 
little  Kngland,  that  the  English  sea-dogs 
learned  the  secret  of  the  mastery  of  the  seas, 
a  less(^n  that  did  more  than  any  other  to  build 
up  and  maintain  their  country's  glory  and 
strength  at  hoi.ie  and  abroad. 

Now,  what  were  the  Spanish  galleons,  and 
liow  canu  they  to  have  such  precious  cargoes  ? 
Thv3  term  "galleon"  was,  in  the  first  instauce, 
applied  only  to  sliips-of-war  having  three  or 
four  gundecks  ,  but  later  on  its  use  became 
more  general,  and  all  large  merchant  vessels 
went  by  that  uame.  They  must  have  been  very 
imposing-looking  affairs  when  under  full  sail, 
although  hardly  less  clumsy  than  a  canal  barge. 
Tliev  were  blunt  of  bow  and  round  of  stern, 
very  low  in  the  waist,  but  exceedingly  high  at 
either  end.  In  fact,  some  of  them  must  have 
resembled  two  wooden  tower:^  joined  by  a  bul- 
warked raft,  and  having  masts  sticking  out  of 
their  tops,  to  which  sails  w^ere  attached  by 
means   of    mauy    cross-yards    and    a   maze   of 


I 


riGrefinor. 


^>v>^-'  ■ 


(11  Ask  of  riih:  spamsii  cm.lkoss. 


49 


the 


poor 
(logs 
seas, 


and 


It  w.'is  in  one  of  tlieni  lliat  ( 'oluiiiltiis  discov- 
en!(l  auotlier  world,  ami  tonk  possession  of  the 
Island  of  San  DoniinLTo.  li\'  tluiir  ii.ul  ( 'ortez 
and  his  steel-clad  soldieis  niad(^  their  way  to 
Mexico,  and  crnshcd  the  Aztee  enij)ii-e  with 
appalling  ernelty,  and  Pizarro,  at  the  head  of 
liis  daring  adventurers,  aeeoniplished  the  con- 
quest of  Peru.  In  fact,  these  galleons  were  the 
keys  by  which  the  })lucky,  though  pitiless,  Span- 
iards unlocked  the  treasure-houses  of  the  New 
Woi'ld,  whose  marvellous  contents  wci'c;  poured 
into  the  eoffiu's  of  King  Charles  V.  and  Philij) 
II.,  thereby  (enabling  thost;  monarchs  to  lift 
Spain  to  the  proud  position  of  lirst  of  Euro- 
pean powers. 

Between  1492  and  ir)G8  Spain  had  the  fudd 
practically  all  to  herself.  From  Florida  to  the 
River  Plata  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  conti- 
nent, and  from  Panama  to  Patagonia  on  the 
western,  her  sway  was  supreme.  To  the  right 
of  concpiest  was  added  the  authority  of  the 
church ;  for  by  a  papal  grant  the  whole  of 
America  was  conveyed  to  the  Spanish  crown, 
and  this  vast  trust  the  bigoted  Philip  was  as 
anxious  to  guard  from  the  taint  of  heresy  as  he 
was   from    commercial    competition.      Terrible 


■  I 


50 


TIIK  ROMANCE  OF  COMMKItCK. 


tlireats  wore  })rocl.'iiiiu;(l,  jjiiriiiailiirly  against 
the  Bi'itisli  "  sea-dogs,"  who  had  already  given 
liis  galleons  trouble  along  tlie  European  coasts. 
For  a  time  these  measures  prevailed;  but  as  the 
sixteenth  century  drew  towards  its  fourth  quar- 
ter tliey  ceased  to  bo  sufficient  to  restrain  the 
national  '  atred  of  Spain  and  the  national  crav- 
ing for  a  wider  con  mercial  field,  even  though 
it  had  to  be  won  at  the  point  of  the  pike. 

The  renowned  John  Hawkins  was  the  first 
to  dare  the  dungeons  of  the  Inquisition  by 
violating  the  Spanish  monopoly  of  the  New 
Worlfl,  and  so  successful  was  his  venture  that 
he  soon  had  many  imitators.  Among  them 
was  one  whose  fame  soon  eclipsed  that  of  all 
others,  growing  into  such  proportions,  and  gath- 
ering about  its  kernel  of  fact  such  an  amazing 
mass  of  fiction,  that  his  latest  biographer  says  of 
him :  "  He  was  not  dead  before  his  life  became 
a  fairy  tale,  and  he  liimself  as  indistinct  as  Sir 
Guy  of  Warwick  or  Croquemitaine.  His  ex- 
ploits loomed  in  mythical  extravagance  through 
the  mists  in  which,  for  high  reasons  of  state, 
they  long  remained  enveloped ;  and  to  the  peo- 
ple he  seemed  some  boisterous  hero  of  a  folk- 
tale outwitting  and  belaboring  a  clumsy  ogre." 


yHIASE  OF  THE  SPANISH  GALLEONS.       T)! 


This  was  the  hero  of  the  chase  of  the  Spanish 
galleons,  the  true  founder  of  Britain's  naval 
supremacy,  Sir  Francis  Drake. 

liOokins:  back  over  his  astonishincr  career, 
and  considering  the  overwlielming  odds  that,  as 
a  rule,  he  liad  to  meet,  and  the  absolute  com- 
pleteness of  Ids  victories  over  them,  it  is  not  so 
very  luird  for  us  to  understand  the  su[)erstitious 
Spaniards  giving  him  credit  for  being  in  league 
with  his  Satanic  Majesty,  and  winning  his  way 
by  diabolical  means.  For  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury the  name  "  El  Draque  "  was  full  of  terror 
to  them. 

It  was  not  by  any  means  mere  greed  for  gold 
that  spurred  Drake  on  to  his  extraordinary  ex- 
ploits. As  an  Englishman  and  a  Puritan  he 
hated  the  would-be  monopolists  of  the  American 
continent,  in  the  first  place  because  they  were 
Spaniards,  and  in  the  second  because  they  were 
Roman  Catholics.  Moreover,  to  this  national 
and  religious  hostility  was  added  a  deep  per- 
sonal grudge  for  the  treachery  which  wrecked 
the  first  two  of  his  ventures  into  the  Spanish 
Main.  At  La  Ilacha,  and  again  at  Vera  Cruz, 
by  violating  their  solemn  covenant  the  Span- 
iards gained  a  temporary  advantage.      But  it 


r.) 


77//-;   liOMANCN  OF  COM M IHHN. 


i 


was  dearly  boui^lil;  for  not  only  did  it  win  for 
Kin^^  riiilij)  and  liin  |u'rjuivd  viciM'oy  llu!  mor- 
tal iMiniily  of  l)oth  Jolni  Hawkins  and  Knincis 
Diakc,  hut  it  showed  tho  latter  the  road  to  his 
rcveiiL,*-!'. 

Ilavinuf  found  tho  road,  Drake;  wasted  littlo 
time  in  venturin*^  n[)()n  it.  In  the  merry  month 
of  May,  l')T2,  there  sailed  out  of  IMymouth 
Sound  two  small  sliips  that  were  destined  to 
mark  an  epoch  in  the  world's  history.  These 
were  the  l*asha,  of  sovonty  tons,  commanded 
hy  Drake  himself,  and  in  her  wake  the  little 
Swan,  of  twenty-live  tons,  in  charge  of  liis 
brother  John.  In  view  of  what  was  before  this 
littlo  ex[)edition,  tho  project  certainly  looked 
more  like  a  schoolboy's  escapade  than  a  serious 
enteri)rise.  The  crews,  all  told,  men  and  boys, 
numbered  about  seventy-three  souls.  There 
was  only  one  of  them  ^vho  had  reached  the 
a<je  of  thirtv.  And  yet  their  modest  scheme 
was  nothing  less  than  to  seize  tho  port  of  Nom- 
bre-de-Dios  in  tho  Panama  Isthmus,  and  the 
Treasure  House  of  the  World  ! 

The  wildest  kind  of  a  design  truly.  Never- 
theless, they  came  within  an  ace  of  accomplish- 
ing it.     As  it  was,  they  stormed  the  town,  held 


en  ASK  OF  rill':  n/my/n//  (jallho.ws.     M 


ill  for 
)  unn- 
nine  is 
to  his 

lililo 
inoiilU 
inoiilli 
iK'cl  to 

These 
ian(h;(l 
3  littU; 
of  liis 
iro  this 
h)uku(l 
serious 
hoys, 

There 
ed  the 

cheme 
Nom- 

id   the 

Never- 
nplish- 
11,  held 


|)oss(5Hsion  of  it  for  sonu^  hours,  and  iiiikK!  their 
wsiy  into  th(;  tniasuiy,  wlici'e  tlirii'  astoiiislied 
eyes  were  met  with  a  si^'lit  siicli  as  exeecided 
tlieir  most  fevcn-ed  expectations;  to  wit,  th(5 
^ray  sliimmer  of  a  pile  of  silver  hars  ten  feet 
in  hnNuUli,  twelve  feet  in  heiglit,  and  seventy 
in  lenj^th. 

15ut  the  Spaniards  presently  rallied  from 
their  afTright.  Drake  was  severely  wounded, 
and  very  reluetantly  the  daring  invaders  liad 
to  return  to  their  hoats,  leaving  the  vast  hooty 
untouehed.  In  retreating  to  cover  tliey  took 
with  them,  liowever,  a  well-filled  galleon  tliat 
lay  in  port;  and  after  a  fortnight  of  rest  on  an 
island  they  swo()[)ed  down  U[)()n  Cartagena,  cut 
out  a  large  ship  that  was  at  the  quay,  and  once 
more  vanished. 

But  they  soon  reappeared,  and  after  making 
a  dashing,  though  fruitless,  attempt  upon  the 
Panama  gold  train,  sacking  Vera  Cruz,  ca[)tur- 
ing  thirty  tons  of  silver  almost  at  the  very 
gates  of  Nomhre-de-Dios,  and  securing  other 
hooty,  they  at  length  decided  to  call  a  halt, 
and  go  hack  to  England  for  a  rest.  The  return 
voyage  was  safely  accomplished ;  and  on  a  fine 
Sunday  in  August,  1573,  the  good  folk  of  Plym- 


54 


77/7';  liOMAXCJ':  OF  COMMKliCi:. 


outli  scaiidalizeil  tlio  iJi'cachor  1)V  niiiiiinuf 
out  of  church  as  tlie  triumphant  young  free- 
booter's guns  thundered  out  a  salute  to  the 
batteries. 

Some  idea  of  the  wonderful  daring  and  en- 
ergy shown  by  this  handful  of  men  during  their 
twelvemonth  in  the  Spanish  Main  may  be  gath- 
ered from  the  statement,  that,  of  two  hundred 
vessels  of  all  kinds  which  then  navigated  the 
Caribbean  Sea,  they  calculated  that  there  was 
not  one  they  had  not  overhauled  once  at  least, 
and  some  of  them  had  suffered  this  unpleas- 
ant treatment  three  times.  What'wer  may  be 
thouglit  of  the  propriety  of  such  proceedings, 
this  must  not  be  forgotten  —  that  Drake  never 
maltreated  a  prisoner,  and  was  as  renowned  for 
his  mercy  to  the  vanquished  as  he  was  for  his 
courasfe  in  the  face  of  foes. 

After  four  years  inaction  at  home,  Drake, 
with  some  difficulty,  succeeded  in  organizing 
another  expedition  into  the  same  rich  field.  It 
was  not  much  more  imposing  than  the  other, 
comprising  as  it  did  only  five  sliips,  of  which 
his  own,  the  Pelican,  measured  but  one  hun- 
dred tons,  and  tlie  smallest  was  a  mere  pin- 
nace of  fifteen  tons ;  yet  the  results  were  to 


CUASE  OF  THE  SPANISH  GALLEONS.       55 


free- 
D    the 


be  the  most  mryineiitous,  without  question,  in 
the  whoJo  nav^iil  history  of  Enghmd. 

The  littl'j  squii(h-on  sut  sail  from  Plymouth 
in  Novei»il*er.  1")7T.  iind  took  n(3iirly  tliree 
months  to  reach  tlic  Strait  of  iMageUan,  and 
three  weeks  more  to  get  tlirough  that  perilous 
passage.  TIkmi  the  Fates,  which  had  hitherto 
been  very  un[)ropitious,  seemed  to  do  their 
utmost  to  wreck  tlie  enterprise.  Two  vessels 
liad  been  left  on  the  other  side  of  the  strait; 
and  of  the  remaining  tliree,  one  went  down 
with  all  hands,  and  the  other  fled  back  home, 
leaving  Drake  alone  in  the  Pelican  to  go  on  in 
a  strancfe  sea  —  for  he  was  the  first  Eufdishman 
to  navigate  tlie  Pacific  —  and  along  a  strange 
coast  held  in  force  by  the  deadliest  foes  of 
England. 

But  his  great  spirit  was  equal  to  the  emer- 
gency. Dauntlessly  he  pressed  northward,  and 
splendidly  was  he  rewarded.  In  the  harbor  of 
Valparaiso  he  found  one  of  the  great  galleons 
from  Peru,  having  on  board  "a  certaine  ([uan- 
tity  of  fine  gold  of  Bolivia  and  a  great  crosse  of 
gold  beset  with  emeraulds,  on  which  was  nailed 
a  God  of  the  same  metal."  This  '*  certaine 
quantity"    amounted     to     about     twenty-four 


56 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


\t 


thousand  pounds,  and  was  only  the  begin- 
ning ! 

From  December  to  April  the  story  of  the 
voyage  reads  like  a  fairy  tale.  The  saucy  little 
Pelican  ran  in  and  out  of  the  harbors,  hardly 
ever  losing  a  man  or  failing  to  add  to  her  store 
of  booty.  The  Spaniards,  who  no  more  thought 
to  see  an  Englishman  on  these  coasts  than  tlie 
Pope  himself,  seemed  to  have  attempted  no  re- 
sistance, preferring  to  be  plundered  rather  tlian 
to  figlit.  At  Tarapaca,  the  Englishmen  found 
a  lot  of  silver  bars  ready  piled  on  the  pier  for 
shipment,  and  tlie  Spaniard  in  charge  sleeping 
comfortably  by  their  side.  "  Whereon,"  writes 
the  chaplain,  in  a  humorous  strain,  "we  freed 
him  of  his  charge,  which  otherwise  perhaps 
would  have  kept  him  waking,  and  so  left  him 
to  take  out  the  other  part  of  his  sleepe  in  more 
security." 

At  the  next  landing  they  "met  a  Spaniard 
driving  eight  Peruvian  sheepe  (Llamas)  ;  each 
sheepe  bearing  one  hundred  weight  of  refined 
silver.  Now  we  could  not  endure  to  see  a  gen- 
tleman Spaniard  turned  carrier  so;  and  there- 
fore, without  entreatie,  we  offered  our  services 
and  became  drovers,  onely  his  directions  were 


I  ^4' 


CHASE  OF  THE  SPANISH  GALLEONS.       57 


not  so  perfect  that  we  could  keepe  the  way 
which  hee  intended,  for  almost  as  soon  as  liee 
was  parted  from  us,  we,  with  our  new  kinds  of 
carriages,  were  come  into  our  boats." 

At  Arica,  "  some  forty  and  odde  barrcs  of 
silver  of  the  bignesse  and  fashen  of  a  brick 
batte  "  were  annexed ;  and  at  Lima  their  eyes 
were  rejoiced  by  the  sight  of  a  fleet  of  ships 
read)'"  freighted  for  sea,  "•  aboard  wliom  we  made 
somewhat  bold  to  bid  ourselves  welcome,"  with 
the  result  of  the  addition  of  fifteen  hundred 
bars  of  silver,  a  chest  full  of  gold  reals,  and 
some  bales  of  costly  silk  to  their  valuable  cargo. 

Tlie  greatest  prize,  however,  was  still  ahead. 
This  was  the  huge  galleon,  Cacafuego,  "the 
great  glory  of  the  South  Sea,"  full  to  the  brim 
of  gold  and  silver.  Sailing  two  miles  to  lier 
one,  the  Pelican  overtook  her  off  Quito,  and 
made  her  an  easy  captive.  "  We  found  in  her," 
records  the  chaplain  in  his  quaint  way,  ''  some 
fruits  and  other  victuals,  and  (that  wliich  was 
the  especiallest  cause  of  her  heavy  and  slow  sail- 
ing) a  certain  quantity  of  jewels  and  precious 
stones,  thirteen  chests  of  ryals  of  plate,  eighty 
pound  weight  in  gold,  twenty-six  tonne  of  un- 
coyned  silver,  two  very  fair  gilt  drinking  boules 


IT 


Ik 


58 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMEIiCE. 


^ 


!  3 


I'' 


valued  at  about  three  liundred  aud  sixty  tliou- 
saud  pexols  "  (more  tliau  two  miUion  dollars). 

Euou<:^li  had  now  been  done  l)()lh  for  glory 
and  profit;  and  Drake  decided  to  liurry  home, 
which  lie  did,  not  by  going  back  through  the 
Strait  of  jNIagellan,  but  by  continuing  right  on 
around  the  world,  which  feat,  hitherto  unper- 
formed by  a  British  mariner,  was  safely  accom- 
plished ;  and  after  nearly  three  years'  absence 
lie  returned  to  Plymouth,  the  richest  man  in 
the  kingdom. 

Of  course  there  were  others  besides  Francis 
Drake  who  made  prey  of  the  Peruvian  treasure- 
ships,  but  none  who  succeeded  so  splendidly; 
and  he  may  be  accepted  as  their  representative 
in  so  far  as  to  render  unnecessary  the  following 
out  of  their  checkered  careers. 

Moreover,  there  was  another  phase  of  this 
chase  of  the  Spanish  galleons  which  still  needs 
to  be  touched  upon.  I  have  already  pointed 
out  that  of  galleons  there  were  two  kinds, 
freight-carriers  and  ships-of-war.  It  was  with 
the  latter  kind  that  Drake  and  his  associates 
had  to  contend,  when,  in  the  summer  of  1588, 
the  prematurely  styled  "  invincible  "  Armada, 
consisting  of  no  less  than   two  hundred  and 


CHASE  OF  THE  SPANISH   GALLEONS.      59 


thirty  galleons,  galeases,  caracks,  and  other 
crafts,  bore  down  upon  England  in  its  imposing 
crescent  formation. 

There  is  no  need  to  relicarse  the  story  of  that 
famous  figlit,  which  continued  tlirough  days  and 
nights  of  thrilling  anxiety  until  at  last  the  ele- 
ments came  to  tlie  aid  of  the  Englishmen,  just 
when  they  were  well  nigh  spent  with  their 
almost  superhuman  exertions,  and  com[)leted 
the  demoralization  of  the  mightiest  naval  force 
that  ever  the  world  had  seen. 

Throughout  this  tremendous  struggle,  Drake 
bore  the  leading  part.  To  him  more  than  to 
any  other  was  due  the  glorious  result  whereby 
the  sceptre  of  the  seas  fell  from  the  liand  of 
Spain  into  the  hand  of  England,  where  it  has 
ever  since  remained;  for  in  tlie  chase  and  con- 
quest of  the  Spanish  galleons,  little  as  Queen 
Elizabeth  or  her  **  sturdy  little  pirate,"  Sir 
Francis  Drake,  imagined  it,  England  laid  l)road 
and  deep  the  foundations  of  her  maritime 
supremacy. 


m 


IS 


\l 


60 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


ij 


k 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  QUEST  FOR  A  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE. 

The  story  of  accidental  discoveries  of  great 
importance,  made  by  persons  wlio  had  other 
objects  in  view,  would  be  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting cha[)ters  in  the  history  of  Imman  prog- 
ress. While  prosecuting  fruitless  search  for  the 
imaginary  pliilosopher's  stone,  thn  calchemists 
of  the  Middle  Ages  chanced  upon  many  valu- 
able processes  and  compounds  in  chemistry ; 
and  in  equally  vain  endeavors  to  solve  the 
problem  of  perpetual  motion,  ingenious  inven- 
tors liave  worked  out  no  small  number  of  prac- 
ticable meclianical  devices. 

It  was  when  sailing  westward  to  find  a 
shorter  route  to  that  marvellous  Zipangu  of 
whicli  Marco  Polo  had  lieard  at  the  court  of 
Kublai-Klian,  tliat  Christopher  Columbus  found 
tlie  continent  of  America  barring  his  way,  and 
was  fain  to  discover  it  instead. 

Control  of  trade  with  the  Orient  has  from  the 
remotest  antiquity  been   coveted   by    Western 


QUEST  FOR   A    NORTn-WEST  PASSAGE.     01 


nations  as  a  prime  sonrre  of  wealth.  Mercan- 
tile communities  engac^ed  in  carrying  Eastern 
freight  invariably  prospered,  and  tlie  greatest 
cities  of  ancient  time  owed  much  of  their  splen- 
dor to  the  ricli  traOic.  Alexander  the  (Ireat, 
Tamerlane,  Mohammed,  Caliph  Omar,  and  other 
great  military  rulers,  had  keen  eyes  for  the 
commerce  of  the  golden  East ;  and  when  Mecca, 
the  Holy  City,  was  at  the  lieiglit  of  its  glory, 
the  bright  chintzes  and  snowy  muslins  of  Hen- 
gal,  the  brilliant  shawls  of  Cashmere,  the  sa- 
vory spices  of  Malabar,  the  flasliing  diamonds 
of  Golconda,  the  iridescent  pearls  of  Kilcare, 
and  the  gauzy  silks  of  China,  made  the  mer- 
cliants'  booths  places  of  sore  temptation  for 
the  pious  pilgrims. 

Then  the  discovery  of  a  path  to  India  by  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  changed  the  course  of 
trade  between  Europe  and  Asia.  The  golden 
tide  now  swept  the  shores  of  Spain  and  Por- 
tugal ;  and  those  kingdoms  suddenly  rose  out 
of  their  obscurity  into  commercial  importance, 
vying  in  opulence,  political  weight,  and  mari- 
time enterprise  with  the  proudest  nations  of  the 
day. 

But  the  navigators  of  those  times  had  little 


1 
If  # 

I 


62 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


liking  i'»r  the  stormy  passage  around  the  Cape 
whose  pacific  name  was  so  inconsistent  with  the 
treatment  usually  meted  out  to  tlieni  there,  and 
they  came  to  the  conviction  that  .across  tlie  un- 
tracked  waters  of  the  Atlantic  lay  the  shortest 
and  best  way  to  tie  riches  of  the  East. 

All  the  Mr^  i  o-peditiins  of  discovery  from 
Europe  to  ite  «h(?res  of  the  Western  continent 
had  their  origin  it  this  idea.  It  was  while 
hunting  for  an  all-sea  route  to  China  that  John 
Cabot  discovered  the  coast  of  Newfoundland 
and  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  VII. ;  and  from  his  day  down  to  the 
year  1854,  when  Captain  McClure,  while  achiev- 
ing the  feat,  also  proved  beyond  a  peradvanture 
the  utter  uselessness  of  the  passage  for  com- 
mercial purposes,  the  ivolief  in  such  a  highway, 
and  the  determination  to  discover  it,  led  to  the 
loss  of  many  precious  lives,  and  the  expenditure, 
on  the  part  of  Great  Britain  alone,  of  over  one 
million  pounds  sterling. 

The  list  of  those  who,  under  the  banner  of 
England,  imitated  the  example  of  John  Cabot, 
is  a  long  and  inspiring  one.  Sebastian,  his  son, 
followed  in  1498.  Then  came  Robert  Thorne 
of  Bristol  (1527)  ;  Master  Hore   (1536),  and 


qUEST  FOR  A   NOirrU-WKST   I'ASSAGK.    03 


of 

[bot, 

|son, 

)rne 

land 


Master  Micluiol  Lok  (^164;')),  of  London,  —  men 
who  knew  "  cosmo^^niphie  "  and  the  "  weiglity 
and  •  dhstantial  reasons  for  a  (Hscovery  even  to 
tiie  nortli  pole."  ivext  we  have  nioie  familiar 
names  :  Froljisher  (loTG),  Sir  Humphrey  (lil- 
bt.-t  (^1583),  James  Davis  (1585),  the  ill-fated 
Henry  Hudson  (1G07),  Sir  Thomas  JJutton 
(1612),  HafFin  and  liylot  (1G15),  Fox  and 
James  (1031),  and  so  on,  a  glorious  mu  "»'-rolI 
of  heroes  of  the  quarter-deck  whose  nien<  ies 
have  been  perpetuated  by  their  na\M3b  being 
given  to  the  bays  they  entered,  the  t'tru':^  they 
passed  through,  or  the  capes  they  do  ^le'l. 

Bearing  in  mind  liow  miserable  were  the  craft 
they  sailed  in,  compared  with  the  modern  speci- 
mens of  marine  architecture,  and  how  imperfect 
was  their  equipment,  the  achievements  of  these 
dauntless  searchers  into  the  mystery  of  the  sul- 
len North,  call  for  our  warmest  admiration. 
Now  breaking  through  the  icy  fetters  which 
fain  would  bind  them  fast,  then  being  chained 
by  them  in  seemingly  hopeless  captivity  ;  at  one 
time  big  with  hope  of  having  hit  upon  the  pas- 
sage, only  to  be  beaten  back  by  the  terrific 
storms  and  irresistible  beig-laden  currents  that 
held  guard  over  it,  —  these  men  never  faltered 


04 


77//;  /.'o.uj.vr/';  OF  commkiice. 


I     \ 


ill  tliuir  fiiilli,  never  (luspaired  of  final  suc- 
cess. 

Among  those  who  won  \\v^\\  places  in  the 
lionor  list  of  Arctic  explorers  by  their  daring 
and  persistence  in  striving  to  penetrate  the 
fastnesses  of  the  Frost  King,  were  Sir  Jolni 
Ross,  Sir  Edward  Parry,  (^aptain  Buchan,  and 
Sir  George  Back.  But  tlie  hero  above  all 
others,  without  (piestion,  was  Sir  John  Frank- 
lin, one  of  the  noblest  navigators  that  ever 
faced  the  terrors  of  the  deeji. 

Born  in  1786,  with  an  innate  longing  for  the 
sea,  Franklin,  whose  parents  wanted  him  to  bo 
a  clergyman,  was  sent  to  Lisbon  when  a  mere 
boy,  on  a  small  merchant  ship,  in  the  hope  of 
curing  him  of  his  romantic  notions.  But  the 
experience  had  precisely  the  contrary  effect. 
He  returned  home  more  than  ever  charmed 
with  a  sailor's  life,  and  nothing  else  would 
satisfy  him  than  an  appointment  in  the  navy. 
Yielding  to  his  earnest  entreaties,  his  friends 
i)rocured  this  for  him ;  and  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen he  had  tlie  pleasure  of  i)acing  the  quarter- 
deck of  the  fine  sixty-four  Polyphemus. 

Ilis  life  on  board  ship  had  no  lack  of  exciting 
incident  from  the  start,  as  he  was  one  of  those 


I 


QUEST  Foii  A  yonrn-n'KST  rAssAaK.  (m 


wlio  lioli)e(l  Lord  Nelson  to  win  tlie  great  naviil 
battle  of  Copenhagen  ;  ho  liad  a  sharp  taste  of 
shipwreck  in  tlio  sontliern  Paeifie  ;  h(^  assisted 
(Commodore  Dance  to  i)nt  to  iiii^lorions  ront 
A(hniral  Linois's  fleet  in  tlie  Strait  of  Mahuu'a ; 
lie  was  mentioned  in  the  (lesj)atehes  as  *' evin- 
cing very  conspicuons  zeal  and  activity"  at  the 
battle  of  Trafalgar ;  he  was  wounded  in  the 
gunboat  attack  on  New  On^ans  in  December, 
1814,  and  again  honorably  mentioned  in  the 
despatches ;  and  finally,  when  peace  was  pro- 
claimed, and  there  were  no  more  foes  to  fight, 
his  adventurous,  energetic  spirit  loathing  inac- 
tivity, he  went  off  as  second  in  command  of  an 
expedition  despatched  to  find  the  north  pole. 

Although  he  did  not  find  the  north  pole, 
Franklin  acquitted  himself  so  well  that  he  was, 
shortly  after  his  return,  put  in  chief  command 
of  an  expedition  which  made  a  marvellous 
journey  overland  from  Hudson  Bay  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Coppermine  River,  and  thence  in 
frail  bark  canoes  eastward  along  the  dreadful 
coast,  where  beetling  cliffs  alternated  with  glis- 
tening glaciers  for  hundreds  of  miles,  —  a  jour- 
ney which,  it  has  been  said,  must  always  rank 
as  one  of  the  most  daring  and  hazardous  ex- 


00 


TiiK  noMAyci:  of  (ommkuck. 


■I  * 


ploits  ever  accomi)lisheil  in  the  interest  of 
geopfrapliic.il  research. 

The  snfferings  er'lurcd  hy  the  explorer  and 
liis  party  were  beyond  all  (h'scription ;  yet  so 
lirm  was  liis  belief  in  the  nortli  passage,  and  so 
intense  his  ardor  for  its  discovery,  that  in  1820 
lie  took  command  of  a  similar  expedition.  This 
time,  however,  there  were  no  hardships  to 
speak  of,  and  the  possibility  of  the  passage 
was  proved  so  far  as  it  could  bo  from  tlio 
shore. 

All  that  now  remained  was  to  prove  it  by 
sea,  and  in  the  year  1845  the  great  explorer  was 
given  the  opportunity.  With  two  specially 
prepared  ships,  the  Erebus  and  Terror,  provis- 
ioned for  tlireo  years,  equipped  in  tlie  most 
complete  manner  possible,  and  manned  and 
ofiicered  by  carefully  selected  men  to  the  num- 
ber of  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  in  all,  Sir 
John  Franklin  sailed  from  England  on  May 
lOLh,  in  the  full  confidence  that,  entering  tlio 
Arctic  regions  through  liafTni  Bay,  he  would 
emerge  at  Bering  Strait  with  the  secret  so  long 
and  jealously  guarded  wrested  from  the  ice 
king's  mighty  grasp. 

On  the'20tli  of  July  following,  the  two  ships 


QUEST  FOn   A    Sonril-WEHT  PASSAdK.    67 


wore  8cen  inado  fust  to  tho  ico  in  Melville  Buy 
by  tlic  ojiptiiiii  of  a  whsiler  from  Hull,  who  had 
a  visit  from  some  of  tho  oflicurs.  So  far  as  is 
known  they  were  never  sij^hted  again.  Al- 
tliough  traces  of  them  were  discovered  many 
years  afterwards,  there  is  liitle  more  than  mere 
conjecture  as  to  the  subsequent  history  of  tho 
entire  expedition.  Despite  its  leader's  unwav- 
ering faith,  dauntless  courage,  and  well-nigh 
superhuman  endurance  of  hardships  that  would 
liave  appalled  a  thousand  other  men,  victory 
remained  with  the  ruthless  North,  and  the  pas- 
sage still  continued  untraversed. 

If  tho  conjectured  course  of  the  ill-fated  ex- 
pedition at  all  approach  the  truth,  there  is 
nothing  more  pathetic  in  tho  whole  record  of 
human  enterprise.  It  would  seem  that  good 
progress  was  made  during  the  summer  of  1845, 
tho  winter  passed  as  pleasantly  as  could  bo 
expected,  and  the  succeeding  summer  was  put 
to  such  good  purpose  in  achieving  farther  ad- 
vance that  they  had  got  almost  within  sight 
of  success  when  the  pitiless  grip  of  winter  fas- 
tened i.  Don  them,  never  again  to  relax. 

"To  winter  in  the  pack,"  says  Captain  Mark- 
ham,  "is  known  happily  only  to  a  few.     I'o 


-' 


G8 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMEUCE. 


puss  two  successive  winters  in  the  ice  is  an 
experience  that  has  fortunately  been  vouch- 
safed to  fewer  still ;  yet  tlie  brave  explorers  of 
the  Krebus  and  Terror  were  destined  to  ])ass 
not  onl}'  one,  but  two  long,  weary  successive 
winters  helplessly  beset  and  (innly  frozen  up 
in  their  icy  bondage. 

In  May  of  1847  a  sledge  party  under  Lieu- 
tenant Gore  left  tlie  ships,  and  made  their  way 
to  King  William's  Island,  whence  they  were 
able  to  sec  in  the  distance  the  North  American 
continent,  and  to  realize  that  only  a  compara- 
tively short  channel  blocked  with  ice  lay  be- 
tween tliem  and  the  success  for  which  they  had 
suffered  so  much.  Depositing  a  record,  which 
was  found  by  the  McClintock  expedition  twelve 
years  later,  they  hastened  back  to  the  ships 
with  th':*  joyful  tidings,  only  to  find  their  be- 
loved leader,  who  had  so  often  before  been  face 
to  face  with  death  and  come  off  scatheless,  now 
fighting  his  last  battle  with  the  relentless  foe. 
lie  had  scarce  time  to  be  assured  that  the 
supreme  ambition  of  his  life  had  been  achieved, 
that  what  old  Thomas  Pnrchas  pronounced 
"the  only  thing  whereby  a  notable  mind  might 
be     made    famous, "    was     practically    accom- 


QUEST   FOR  A   NORTir-WEST  PASSAGE.    0)0 


plishcd,  before,  on  llie  Ittli  of  June,  1847,  ho 
passed  peacefully  awa}-. 

As  to  the  rest  of  tlie  unfortunate  expedition, 
it  would  appear  that  in  the  following  April 
they  abandoned  their  ships,  and  set  out  for  the 
Great  Fish  Kiver  on  foot,  liopinj^  there  to  meet 
with  Indians  who  would  lielp  them  ;  but  they 
all  droo[)ed  and  died  by  the  way,  leaving  little 
or  no  trace  of  tlieir  course. 

Everything  that  human  forethought  and  ex- 
ertion could  devise  or  accomplisli  was  done  to 
discover  and  rescue  the  missing  ex[)edition,  but 
the  various  searching  parties  sent  out  returned 
but  little  wiser  than  they  went. 

Six  years  after  Sir  John  Franklin's  death. 
Sir  Robert  McClure  succeeded  in  making  liis 
way  from  the  Pacific  Ocean  to  the  Atlantic, 
partly  by  vessel,  partly  by  sledge,  and  in  so 
doinfif  settled  forever  in  the  nei^ative  tlie  feasi- 
bility  of  a  north-west  passage  for  vessels. 

Seeing  tliat  to  England  rightfully  belongs 
first  place  among  the  nations  tliat  have  ex- 
pended life  and  treasure  in  seeking  a  sliort 
route  to  the  Orient  through  th(!  'Mbrilling 
region  of  thick-ribbed  ice,"  how  })oetically  just 
it  seems   that  she  should,  after  all   her   cruel 


70 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


disappointments,  find  a  far  better  liighway  for 
her  commerce  right  throngli  lier  own  territory, 
and  tliat,  so  long  as  the  rails  of  the  Canadian 
Pacific  gleam  briglitly  across  the  continent, 
there  is  no  need  for  any  other  north-west  pas- 
sage. 


HOW  MERCHANTS  OPENED   THE   WOULD.  71 


CHAPTER  VII. 


HOW  THE  MEllCHANTS  OPENED  UP  THE  WORLD. 


We  have  grown  so  used,  during  the  hist 
century  or  so,  to  give  scientific  or  journalistic 
enterprise  the  credit  for  the  great  things  done 
in  the  way  of  exph)ration  and  discovery,  that 
we  are  apt  to  forget  the  great  deht  we  owe  to 
commerce  for  even  greater  things  accomplished 
in  the  days  when  there  were  no  Smithsonian 
Institutions  nor  British  Associations  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Science,  and  when  newspapers 
like  the  New  York  Herald  and  London  Daily 
Telegraph  did  not  exist,  to  undertake  the  send- 
ing forth  of  expeditions  into  tlie  burning  wilds 
of  Africa,  or  the  ice-bound  legions  of  the 
mysterious  North. 

Neither  scientific  nor  religious  ardor,  nor 
greed  for  a  growing  empire,  inspired  the  dis- 
coverers of  the  tift(Mjnth  century  to  voyage  so 
bravely  forth  into  unknown  seas.  Trade  was 
the  grand  object.  The  merchant  went  ahead, 
and  opened  up  the  path  for  the  soldier  and  the 


7'' 


/  //r  lioM  \  \(  t,   i)r  I  t)M  w;  /♦•«•/.; 


puo>^J.      \\\\\  lo»   lu<  ciHtM  |>!  I .(«  il    iM   «|nH««   poMHi 


h\o   \\\i\\    j|\,»   suiM.l   .>!    (1 


IC    tMI(» 


111). I 


llitl     \MI\»'(|, 


Up    l.»     \]\0     |M«'s«M>l     (l;l\      \l)    Kllr    liilll      |||i>     ( 'III  JH 


ri»0     >  .>\  ;!»;,»    nl     <  "»»lmul»n  »    \\  MM     1) 


n    i'\)'t 


|>l  ion 


l"ni.\    lu>    \>,i.i    i\ol     Imnsoll"    ;i    inri.liMiil.      Mis 
M^pn;\t)on<    so:no«l    lnj',li    m1»o\o    tlio    incrcciiin  v 

i«loas   oj'     lU.M.'    »n;Ul.M    ol    1;|,'|     IdlsilU'SN.         Hill     ll 


i»» 


o\po«lition    wlui'h    l»o   ('tMhlmdMl    (o  so  pJoiioiiM 
nn    i^siio    1>;(«1    l.M    It  •;    ItMindiition    lli.<    «|t'Mir(>   jo 
nviil    tlu»    \  tMuMiiiUH   ni    tli*'   li.idc   ol'   iIkH    \\  on 
*ljMf»ll     (';itlin\      winch    p.Mnrtl    snt  li    ti     IIoimI    nf 
woaltli   iulo  t1i«>   liip  of   ilio   ("il\    «if   ilio    Isles. 


It 


\U  1 


wonUi  h(»  tjuitc  n\iposNil>l(>  ni   :i   smjno  ;nh- 


1.1, 


'lo   to   tt^il    tli»'   \\l»«>li»  sloiN    i^\'  ;inv   on<»  (»f   ll 


i(» 


>lit 


<'\)>r«tuions   w 


In.l 


\    \v\{':\ 


l.'.l    1 


•  »    \\on«loiin}' 


I- 


II 


r.^]nM]u»  lulluM  to  iininKijMnrtI  o\lon(    iy\'   AfritM, 


anv 


1    til 


le  o,^Mn  p.tthwiiv  to  ln<li;i  jMonntl  tlio 
(\rpe  «^f  (iv^oil  ||»^pi>.  ,\l  nit>sl  I  r;\n  l<n(  solccl. 
s«">ino  of  tlu»  most  stiilvini*-  features  o(  tlie  eliief 


o\po 
1 


ih\ 


uma. 


;tt 


rt^n)ii:;»l  is  tlu^  ('ountiT,  aiul  I>oim 
Honvv.  son  oi  ,lohn  I.,  the  man,  entitled  to  tin* 
houiM*  of  ]>t^>:innini>"  tlie  sJ:oi>d  woik.  The  vonusr 
prineo's  imagination  was  exeileil   l>y  tlu»  gh^.w- 


nnn   Minrif  \\ IN  nrtrMcn  rtw:  wmnn  7'. 


Hm'  |ri»Mil.  AfiiiMiii  •l»'Hri(.,  Mini   liM  «l«<l crin J ri»« I   l'» 
i|n  (ill   diiil    liiy   in    lim    |iow(<i    tit  M«>lv(^    tlio    rnyM 
tiMy    lli»'»i    rxiMlinjr  WW  |o  llio   hIi(||»m   \\\\i\   hi/.m   (»f 
(Im»   SmiHIipiii   ( 'mil  iin>i!l. 

ilillimln  MM  l'iiiiM|M<)in  Mliip  IumI  \tu\  li(>yori(| 
('ii|M«  nojiitlnr,  wlii'li  tniiilot  llm  rifiilli'iri  mi«I 
of  llin  Sill  III  ni.  I  )<>K<>i  I  ;  IIm^  hIkhi^j  ciii  miiIm  wliiili 
Mt«l  iihhmhI  IIiiiI.  rp|«'l»iul«(|  nipM  loivirij^  Krnr(«| 
llip  iniiiiiMMM  nf  lliiii  liiiiM,  wlio  ii"jmimI''I  it  iix 
ii  «liviiH'  Wiiiiiinjr  j»»  yn  no  fjirtlMW.  lint  hom 
llciiiy  (l<<M|tiil('lM>(|  nh«<  nx  |M'(lil  i'Mi  iiflrr  iinnt  lift 
to  MiiiK)>  IIm'  lit  l)<Mi|)t.,  until  lit,  la-^t,  in  llm  ycitr 
I  |I''J,  lilt'  niinli  (|irii(|i'«l  KKslinln  win  Hnf•(•«•^wl- 
'nlly  HiH  iiiniinli'il  l»v  (iiliiincM  in  ;i.  kiiikIc  </»■.»■!, 
M  rciii,  IImmi  i«>jrMi<l*M|  ,i;i  liilly  i>(|ii;i,l  t'»  ;iny  <»l  llic 


MUM    o 


hil 
iJinr    I' 


r  II 


f'iriiin  \ 


It    I 


M'WWr 


M 


IIIM     lllil' 


iMvnIniicn 


liiul 


no    (I 


riil«'r|»risM, 


Um^   I' 


l»j('(tt 


li 


♦sir 


KM!    to   Miirli    ;i,n 
li,   I. 


o|in    \v;i,4  yi)Ui[   »iii(»ii(Mi,   My  vvfiy 


i»r  slin\vin!(  liis  iipproviil  of   |)omi  ll<wiry,  'o  (ton- 
It*!'  upon  iiini  ;i.  Kiant  oT  fill  ili''  iiiJi'lH  \\\.      ini^^lit. 


)m'  <li 


>i  I 


iHcovricil   hcyoiMl  \  apn  l»oj;w 


I  ( 


I 


fir.r  I 


I    ill'. 


K;iHt, 


linlii'M,  l,tijrr|,||(.r  willi  fnll  iilisolntiori  for  tliM 
hoiiIh  of  ;ill  who  .should  lo.sc,  l.luiir  I  .'-h  wiiil*; 
in   tlni  (li.scovny  of  Ihi'iii. 

'I'hu.i   (loiihly   fortiiitjd,  (iiJiaiicH   roturnod   to 


m 


74 


rilR   lii)MAM  !•:  OF  iOMMtUH'K. 


i\w  rliarpfo  in  1  l.'M  with  l\v<>  vessels,  iiiul  pusstMl 
u  1nin<li'(Ml  miles  lu'voml  the  eii|)e,  wImmo,  oii 
landing,  tracks  of  men  ami  e;ittl(»  wmo  fonml. 
'I'he   next   y(»ai'   lio  m;nl»»  f;irtlier  pioi^nt'ss,   and 


\vm\ 


\\\  (Miconntcr  with  sonm  nalivt^s  who  issn«M 


h 


.1 


from  a  eavr,  hohlinjjf  javelins  in  their  hands. 
Sov(Mal  of  thes(^  and  ono  of  tlu<  I*ortn^neso 
wore  woinuled,  this  heinijj  the  hei^nnnin^*'  of  that 


w 


blooil-sheddinuf    which     unha|t|tily    stained    tl 
hoh^     eoinse    of    Portntnu'si'    discovery    and 


w 


I'oloin/ation, 


K;u'h.  succeedini,'  year  the  vessels  worked 
farllier  st>v.tlu  tlu  i)-  owners  lii,ditin^',  tra<lin^, 
oheatiiK/,  :\iid  h  im.'  their  w;iv  towards  the  ^reat 


(liscoverv 


tl 


ev    wi 


re    destined    vet,    to   achieve 


(lold,  ostricii  feathers,  ivory,  and  slaves  were 
thi»  principal  oi»jci'ts  of  trade:  and  if  hnsiness 
was  not  Itrisk,  th(»  Tortuirnese  never  hesitated 
to  resort   to  frand   or  force  to  improve  matters 


for  tl 


lemselves 


Cape  lUanco  and  Cape  Verde  were*  passed  in 
the  Scneiral  and   Hio  (irandi^  risers  dis- 


turn 


oovt 


red,  as   well   as   the    Azores  and   the  ('ai)e 
Verde  Islan«ls :  the  tMpiator  crossed   withont  a 


in 


isliap;  the  (iiain  (\)ast  (so  callcil  from  cochi- 
neal,  known   i.i  tho    Italian    market   as   arana 


now    MiaiCllANTS   OVKNKD   TIIK    WnULlK  7r» 


»/<7  parailiHo^  Iwiii^  <)l)liiiin'(l  lluinO;  t|j«  Ivory 
Coast,  (lold  Cojist,  ami  Slavic  ('ojust  wjto 
rcaclird  in  siiccrssioii,  and  likrwisj?  llio  hIioh-s 
of  lioaiij^o,  ('oMM^o,  and  Anj^ol.i.  'I  lie  Kin^  <»f 
Poitni^al  now  to(»U  tln^  litlo  of  Lord  n|"  (iiiinoa; 
tliu  dnnatinii  of  all  lands  was  (:onlirin(><l  hy  tho 
l'o|M>;  and  notliin^  remained  hut  to  [Hish  on  to 
llio  lartlnvst  pnint,  i^et  aronnd  it,  seo  what  theiJ? 
WJ18  on  tho  othui  sido*  and  thus  .solvo  thu  i^nciU 
mystvry. 

Tho  sufoosH  of  Cojnjnhns  had  mnch  to  do 
with  stirrioj;  n|>  tho  I'ortu^nn'so  to  aeiMnnpiish 
this.  Thi'V  w'vYi)  no  l(;ss  satisfied  tiian  hu  that 
tho  IU!NV  world  ho  had  <lis(u»v(rn!d  "as  hut  an 
outlying  portion  of  India,  and  ihey  wrre-  detor- 
niiiiiMl  to  timl  out  if  it  was  not  possihlo  to  roach 


th 


l1    I 


I   til 


ith 


H»  sanio    i^oal    r>y  j^oiulj    arouno   uiu  soutnorii 
extrrniity  of  Afiiea. 

Uartholomew  Dia/.  ^'ot  as  far  as  tlio  point  six 
veal's  hefi»r(5  ('nlmnl»iis  siLfhted  America,  and, 
cne.ounterin^^  a  licrctj  storm  there!,  called  it  Tor- 
iihMitosa,  and  turnccl  back.  Hut  on  his  nturn 
thu  kini^,  in  ]>roof  of  his  faith  in  the  future, 
chanj^ed  tho  tith;  to  (\il>o  tic  I'Uimu  rsf/rninzfi 
(Capo  of  (lood  Hope),  which  it  l)e;irs  to  this 
day.     Tho  Haino   foolish  superstition   prevailed 


4(1 


77//;  /,•(),)/. I  V(7-;  (>/'•  (ihM.ynanJK 


iMtiu'i'iiiiiii;  it  tliiit  liiul  lii^litt'iKMl  mjuiiu'iH  iiwiiy 
iVoin   (';i|M'   l^»ji»(lor.      it  was   luIi«>viMl  (liat  llio 


storms  whit'h  ilr«»v«'  l)i;i/,  luul 


\    WVVi) 


IMM|, 


■tiiii!. 


and  that  it  was  an  im|ii  >us  tt'm|>tiii!j;  of  l*i«>vi- 
«i»'iuT  to  pt'isist  ill  jmu'ccdiiii^.  Kiiii^  Mniaiiiicl, 
liowrMM',  was  suju'rior  to  this  folly  ;  ami  schMt- 
iiii;   \  asco  ila  (Jama,  "-a  j;«'iith'man  of  <|uality, 


ii)iht 


iml   coinaLi'i' 


1 


w.  sen 


I  1 


iim    o 


IT 


III 


tl 


10 


vi'ar 


ll'J 


I    wi 


111  th 


;h 


it'(M«  small  snips,  and  oiio  liiiii- 


h 


(Irotl  ami  sixty  mm,  Ih'ariiijjf  lotlcrs  of  iiitro- 
(luction  {o  i\u)  Kiiii^  yA'  Calicut,  and  I'rcstcr 
tlolm,  tlu»  l(»s^tMi(lary  potontati^  wln>so  tlominioiis 
uiM'o    sin>[M>stMl    to    1)0  somowliiMo    ill    i\\{)   vast 


roiiions  o 


f  A 


sia. 


10 


'Vhc  littlo  Hoot,  had  a  rouq-li  ]>assai:!fo  to  11 
C^ipi* :  hut  whoM  tlioy  ivachod  it  fortiino  favored 
tlvoni  with  fair  wiMthor,  and  on  Nov.  IS  tlu'y 
siU'CrssfuUy  douhlod  it,  thoir  ciinvs  shouting 
anil   si>iindin^'  tnimpots   in  tokon   of   their   Iri- 


lunpn 


T\ 


\c\v   proi^ivss    norlhwaid    alon 


til 


d   all 


!(»■ 


11 


10 


eoasl  was  full  of  novelty  and  (^xeitemenl,  for 
thev  were  sailiuL);  in  seas  no  iMironean  keels  Jiad 
ever  eloven  before.  At.  San  lUas  they  si 
three  tlu>usand  sea-wolves  on  a  roek  in  the  li; 


iw 


ir- 


bor.     On  (^hristmas  Day,  1  l!KS,  they  touehed  at 
a  plaee  whieh.  in  honor  of  the  day,  llicy  called 


inny  Mi':i{(ii.i\ IS  oriisi'.h  riii<:  wont.h,  11 


TiciTJi  <1()  Niilal,  ri  iiuiiK*  Miiit  .still  miuiiriH.  A 
fnrl.iii;^Iil  liih'i*  lliry  m;i\v  (Ui  llic  slioin  ii  l;ir«M) 
(Munpaiiy  of  very  (all  |M(>|ilr,  iiiid  on  liiiidin;^ 
\V(?r(5  well  r(M'('iv*'<l  l»y  llii'iii.  I)a(iii,mii  iiiado 
(li(^  iic^^ro  |H'in('.(5  :i  pn'scnl,  nf  ii  ml  jarlo-l,  sl.octk- 


il 


■\XU'\ 


ilv    hl< 


>!    Ii 


il.l( 


iii^rs,  and  cap,  wliicli  vastly  pIcasDl  ins  sahh! 
Majrsly,  and  «!X<;iu!d  IIm}  nillmsiaslic  admira- 
tion <»r  Ills  .snl)j(M',tH. 


Sailinir  al( 


(Uii;  III  u  Icisiiicly,  <*;miI  loii 


fas! 


lion, 


tliciy  passcMJ   tlir(Hit,di  tiio  .'■li-iit  \\  liicli  Sfjiaralcs 


Mada^a.S(>ar  fr(»ni  tlio  main  IiiikI, 


llld    ln'MII    to 


liKMit   with  si;^iis  of  tli(5  picsiriKM)  of   tln!   Aiahs, 
as  tli(5  na(iv(!S  nndrrstoocl  soiiurlliiiiL''  "f  Hn;  lan- 


urwi 


l^r(. 


and  wtM'u  less  astonished  than  olln  rs  liad 


hiMiii  Jit  tht)  sij^ht  of  slianj^(!rs.  At  iMo/amhicpK;, 
DiV  (Jama  was  rcjoiiuid  at  hcin;^  assii!«'(l  that 
Ik;  was  on  tin;  iiL,dit  track  for  th(!  n^nowiKMl  (;ity 
of  (Calient,  in  India.  At  Mohassa,  tlic  Moors, 
jcah)us  of  intnidisrs  npon  th(5  lichl  of  which  they 
had  liitJiurto  cnjoycMl  a  monopoly,  hc'^rim  to  ^riv(! 
trouhlc,  hnt  wc.t'j  (!asily  diiv(;n  ofi",  and  their 
[>h)ts  for  tlio  dcstrnction  of  the  ile(;t  frustrated. 
Continiiintr  coastwaid  as  far  as  the  town  of 


Melindj 


Ii 


d  n 


I,    a    lai'L^e   and    liourishiiif^    plac(5,    witli 


h 


.Ii 


itli 


ir  streets,  iin<l  honses  several  stones 


1  st( 


lii'd. 


rcguh 

where,  to  their  greiit  surprise,  they  met   with 


78 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE, 


Christians  wlio  luiiled  fiom  India,  tho  three 
vessels,  on  April  22,  sailed  off  dauntlessly  into 
that  immense  and  unknown  traet  of  o(;ean  which 
stretched  hetwt^en  tho  continent  of  Africa  and 
tlie  })eninsnla  of  India,  that  was  the  j^nind  and 
crowninjjf  ohject  of  the  voyage.  Hitherto  Vasco 
da  Cfama  had  simply  been  feeling  his  way  along- 
shore, so  to  speak ;  hut  now  he  was  to  dare 
the  dangers  of  the  uncharted  waters,  two  thou- 
sand miles  in  hreadtli,  that  lay  between  him 
and  Calicut.  Well  was  it  for  the  little  expe- 
dition that  its  leader  had  both  a  sound  head 
and  a  strong  heart. 

Tho  good  fortune  which  had  favored  the  fleet 
thus  far  still  continued,  and  at  tho  end  of  a 
month's  pleasant  sailing  the  high  iiills  near 
Calicut  came  in  sight.  Anchoring  some  dis- 
tance from  the  city,  Da  (Jama  sent  on  shore 
to  reconnoitre  one  of  the  criminals  lie  had 
brought  with  him  for  tho  purpose.  The  man 
was  conducted  to  tho  house  of  a  Moor  who 
could  speak  Spanish,  and  who  at  once  roughly 
demanded  what  he  had  come  for.  After  some 
conversation,  however,  he  grew  more  courteous, 
and  accompanied  his  visitor  back  to  the  ship, 
where  he  accosted  Da  Gama   in  Spanish  with 


now   MEIWIIANTS   orENKI)   rilK    WollLh.   71) 


the  words:  "Good  luck!  (iood  luck  I  nuiuy 
rubies,  nuiny  emeralds.  'J'Ikui  juI  hound  to 
give  God  thanks  ;  for  lio  hiis  brought  you  where 
there  are  all  sorts  of  spices  and  precious 
stones,  with  all  the  riches  of  the  world."  The 
admiral  and  his  companions  were  so  much  de- 
lighted at  hearing  this  good  news  in  a  Chris- 
tian tongue,  when  so  far  from  home,  that  they 
wept  for  joy.  Tlie  Moor  i)romised  to  do  all 
the  service  ho  could  for  them,  and  returned 
to  land,  leaving  them  in  high  spirits. 

Very  soon  an  invitation  came  from  the  Sa- 
niorin,  as  the  King  of  Calicut  was  called,  to  pay 
him  a  visit.  Taking  twelve  of  liis  companions, 
Da  Gania  accepted  it,  although  his  brother  olTl- 
cers  feared  treaciiery  on  the  part  of  tho  Moors, 
who  were  very  numerous  and  influential.  They 
were  received  with  much  pomp,  and  borne  in 
splendid  litters  tlirough  crowded  streets  to  tho 
palace,  where  the  Samorin  welcomed  them  with 
every  mark  of  respect.  Ho  was  found  reclin- 
ing in  a  largo  room,  tho  floors  and  walls  of 
which  were  covered  with  rich  velvets  and  silks, 
while  ho  himself  was  clotluMl  in  line  linen, 
stiff  with  gold  embroidery  and  pearls,  his  tur- 
ban gleaming  with   precious    stones,   and   his 


^. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


Ai 


1.0 


I.I 


1^1^    '12.5 

|50    "^      IM^ 

1^  1^    1111122 

^  m  ''"^ 

H:    US,    12.0 


1.8 


1.25   1  1.4      1.6 

^ 

6"     

► 

V 


^ 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  873-4503 


A^^ 


^ 


^ 


t 


6^ 


I  f 


80 


THE  liOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


lingers  and  toes  being  laden  with  diamond 
rings.  His  attendants  all  held  their  left  hands 
before  their  mouths,  lest  their  breath  should 
reach  the  royal  beings. 

The  visitors  having  been  duly  seated,  refresh- 
ments in  the  form  of  fruits  were  introduced,  fol- 
lowed by  water  in  a  curious  vessel  having  a 
long  golden  spout.  Being  informed  that  it  was 
a  gross  breach  of  etiquette  to  let  the  spout 
touch  the  lips,  the  Portuguese  were  fain  to  hold 
the  vessel  off  at  some  distance,  and  try  to  pour 
the  water  into  tlieir  gaping  mouths,  as  the 
natives  did.  But  being  unused  to  the  proceed- 
ings, they  made  a  poor  business  of  it,  and  spilled 
a  good  deal,  Avhereupon  the  courtiers  showed 
that  they  could  be  as  guilty  of  bad  manners  as 
they  subsequently  proved  of  bad  faith,  by  laugh- 
ing outright  at  their  guests'  awkwardness. 

At  the  outset  the  Samorin  evinced  every 
desire  to  be  friendly,  and  to  gratify  Da  Gama's 
desire  to  open  up  trade.  But  no  sooner  was 
this  apparent  than  the  Moors,  who  for  a  long 
time  had  had  a  monopoly  of  the  commerce  of 
India,  which  they  carried  on  by  way  of  the  Red 
Sea  and  Alexandria,  began  to  plot  against  their 
European  rivals,  and  by  bribing  the  Samorin's 


UOW  MEIiCIlAyTS    OPEXEI)    THE    WOULD.  VA 


a 


jry 


of 
Led 


I 
3 


courtiers,  succcedud  in  lilling  liis  iniiid  with 
suspicions  about  the  newcomers.  Tlie  negotia- 
tions whicli  liad  opened  so  prosperously  were 
interrupted ;  and  iinally  the  admiral  and  some 
of  his  companions  were  seized  and  confmed,  not 
being  released  until  Da  Gama's  brother  liad 
sent  a  quantity  of  goods  as  ransom. 

On  regaining  his  liberty,  Da  Gama  Avas  so 
disgusted  at  this  treachery  that  he  resolved  to 
set  out  for  home.  Two  days  after  he  sailed  lie 
was  attacked  during  a  calm  by  sixty  large  boats 
full  of  soldiers.  Happily  a  w^ind  sprang  up  in 
time  to  save  the  Portucfuese  fleet  from  fallincr 
into  the  hands  of  these  treacherous  rascals,  and 
the  homeward  voyage  was  begun  Avithout  fur- 
ther mishap.  They  had,  however,  by  no  means 
so  easy  a  time  in  getting  back  to  the  African 
coast  as  they  had  in  making  India.  For  four 
months  the  little  squadron  struggled  with  bad 
weather  and  head  winds.  Scurvy  in  its  worst 
form  broke  out ;  and  both  officers  and  crew  be- 
gan to  give  themselves  up  to  despair,  in  spite  of 
their  brave  leader's  earnest  exhortation  to  trust 
in  Providence.  At  length  a  fair  wind  dispelled 
their  fears;  and  soon  they  reached  Melinda, 
where  they  were  w^ell  received.    Thenceforward 


M 


82 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


■    3 


I 


the  ships  made  steady,  if  somewhat  slow,  prog- 
ress, until  in  September,  1499,  they  cast  anchor 
in  the  Tagus,  having  been  absent  two  years  and 
two  months. 

Next  to  that  of  Columbus,  this  brilliant  and 
eventful  voyage  made  by  Vasco  da  Gama  was 
fraught  with  more  important  consequences  than 
any  other  in  the  world's  history.  By  thus 
opening  up  a  new  route  to  the  Far  East,  the 
Portuguese  admiral,  without  knowing  it,  had 
prepared  the  way  for  the  commercial  downfall 
of  the  maritime  states  of  Italy,  Egypt,  Turkey, 
Arabia,  and  all  those  countries  between  the 
lied  Sea  and  the  Caspian,  which  throve  upon 
the  overland  commerce  between  Europe  and 
India;  and,  what  was  stranger  still,  it  was  ac- 
cording to  the  decrees  of  destiny  that  this 
lucrative  traffic,  after  being  for  only  a  brief 
while  in  the  hands  of  Portugal,  should  be  taken 
hold  of  by  the  British,  and  prove  chiefly  instru- 
mental in  the  building  up  of  their  colossal 
empire. 

As  soon  as  it  became  known  in  England  that 
there  was  money  to  be  made  by  trading  to  the 
African  coast,  the  merchants  and  mariners  be- 
gan to  compete  there  with  the  Portuguese,  and 


t    *■ 


HOW  MEliC HANTS   OPENED   THE    WOULD.  83 

many  profitable  voyages  were  made  by  Lok, 
Touersen,  Rutter,  liaker,  and  others,  despite 
the  angry  opposition  of  the  Portuguese.  Details 
of  these  expeditions  have  been  preserved  in  the 
Hakluyt  collection,  and  make  wonderfully  in- 
teresting reading. 

In  this  way  the  world  was  opened  up,  com- 
merce, not  conquest,  being  the  chief  motive  of 
the  pioneers  in  the  discovery  of  new  countries 
and  nations,  and  of  new  routes  to  marts  which 
had  hitherto  been  reached  only  by  long  and 
costly  overland  journeying.  True  it  is  that 
civilization  and  Christianity  owe  a  larger  debt 
to  the  practical  men,  "  prone  to  value  none  but 
paying  facts,'*  than  is  generally  conceded. 


* 


84 


TIUJ  JiOMA^'CE  OF  COMMERCE. 


'] 


11  f 


I 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  EISE   AND  FALL   OF   JOHN  COMPANY. 

There  is,  perhaps,  more  of  the  poet's  fancy 
than  actual  fact  about  some  of  the  lines  in  our 
familiar  missionary  hymn  which  makes  "In- 
dia's coral  strand  "  rhyme  with  "  Afric's  golden 
sand ; ' '  but  the  reference  to  the  spicy  breezes 
that  "  blow  soft  from  Ceylon's  isle  "  is  correct 
enough,  and  it  was  probably  the  pleasant  scent 
of  those  very  breezes  which  first  called  atten- 
tion to  the  great  and  wonderful  land  of  India. 

As  shown  in  the  preceding  chapter,  Portugal 
was  the  first  European  nation  to  open  up  trade 
with  India  on  her  own  account. 

For  some  time  the  Portuguese  navy  rode  tri- 
umphant in  every  part  of  the  Indian  Ocean, 
while  the  treasury  of  the  court  at  Lisbon  was 
enriched  by  the  tribute  of  many  Indian  princes 
and  the  monoply  of  a  most  profitable  commerce. 
During  this  period  the  history  of  the  Portu- 
guese presents  a  series  of  events  without  a  paral- 
lel in  the  annals  of  fact,  and  scarcely  surpassed 


ORIGINAL  ARMS  OF  THE   EAST  INDIA  COMPANY. 
Incorporated  1600.     Danvers  "  India  Office  Records." 


RISE  AND   FALL    OF  JOHN  COMPANY.      8") 


by  the  wildest  fKjtion.  All  the  talents  and  vir- 
tues which  ennoble  the  discoverer  —  courage, 
coolness,  patience,  and  loyalty  —  were  displayed 
in  the  winning  of  their  empire ;  all  the  vices  of 
conquerors  inflamed  by  avarice  and  fanaticism 
disgraced  them  after  its  establishment. 

But  they  were  not  left  very  long  alone  in 
this  lucrative  field.  In  1594  the  Dutch  sent 
their  vessels  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to 
secure  a  share  of  the  profitable  traffic  in  Asiatic 
luxuries,  and  with  such  good  success  that  be- 
fore many  years  not  only  was  the  bulk  of  the 
business  in  their  hands,  but  also  territorial 
possessions  more  extensive  than  those  held  by 
their  rivals,  who,  after  a  hard  fight  to  keep 
them  out,  gave  up  the  struggle  as  hopeless, 
and  resigned  themselves  to  the  situation. 

The  next  claimant  for  the  right  to  make 
money  out  of  India  was  Great  Britain,  or, 
rather,  an  association  of  British  merchants. 
They  got  the  idea  from  the  renowned  Sir 
Francis  Drake,  who  visited  the  East  Indies  in 
the  course  of  his  remarkable  voyage  round  the 
world,  and  brought  back  such  glowing  accounts 
of  these  little-known  regions,  that,  in  the  year 
1600,  "  Good  Queen  Bess  "  was  moved  to  grant 


86 


THE  JiOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


■^\l 


B« 


■i 
I 

:l 


a  cliarter  of  corporation  to  "  The  Governor 
and  Company  of  Merchants  of  London  trading 
to  the  East  Indies."  This  charter,  like  others 
of  tliat  time,  was  exclusive,  proliibiting  all 
other  Englishmen  from  trading  within  the 
space  included  between  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  and  Cape  Horn ;  i.e.,  the  whole  of  the 
Indian  and  Pacific  Oceans,  a  monopoly  that  the 
company  continued  to  enjoy  until  1813,  when 
the  Indian  trade  was  thrown  open  to  all.  Thus 
began  the  famous  East  India  Company,  popu- 
larly known  as  the  "John  Company,"  which, 
starting  with  a  small  settlement  in  Surat,  ob- 
tained by  the  grace  of  a  native  ruler,  grew  and 
prospered  through  two  centuries  and  a  half  of 
varied  and  romantic  experiences,  during  which 
it  decided  the  fate  of  rajahs,  kings,  and  em- 
perors, putting  down  one  and  setting  up  an- 
other, and  drew  under  its  direct  rule  no  less 
than  one  hundred  millions  of  people,  with 
seventy  millions  more  under  allied  sovereigns 
more  or  less  subservient  to  its  influence. 

To  make  clear  how  all  this  was  accomplished 
would,  of  course,  require  a  big  book.  Only  a 
mere  outline  can  be  given  in  this  chapter.  The 
first  expedition  sent  out  by  the  company  con- 


HIRE  AND  FAlL   of  JOHN  COMPANY.      87 


sisted  of  five  small  sliips  under  command  of 
Captain  James  Lancaster.  They  were  laden 
with  cloth,  glass,  cutlery,  lead,  and  tin ;  and 
the  profits  of  the  undertaking  were  so  satisfac- 
tory that  other  and  larger  fleets  followed  in 
quick  succession.  Some  idea  of  these  profits 
may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  a  cargo  of 
cloves,  which  cost  the  company  only  three 
thousand  pounds  in  Amboyna,  realized  in  Lon- 
don the  magnificent  sum  of  thirty-six  thousand 
pounds. 

Not  all  the  transactions,  to  be  sure,  proved 
quite  such  bonanzas  as  this  one,  nor  was  the 
English  company  permitted  to  have  its  own 
way  without  let  or  hindrance.  The  Portuguese 
did  not  at  all  like  the  idea  of  a  fresh  rival  in 
the  field,  of  which  they  had  once  been  solo 
masters  to  their  great  profit ;  and  they  were  dis- 
posed to  be  very  troublesome,  until  the  com- 
pany's fleet,  under  Captain  Best,  gave  a  decisive 
beating  to  a  much  superior  Portuguese  force 
off  the  port  of  Swally,  in  1615.  This  victory 
served  a  double  purpose.  It  disposed  of  the 
Portuguese,  and  it  produced  a  profound  im- 
pression upon  the  natives,  who  had  hitherto 
believed   them   to  be   invincible,  and  thereby 


88 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


1 


made  matters  much  easier  for  the  Englislmien 
in  future. 

The  Dutch  liad  next  to  be  reckoned  with. 
They,  too,  were  strongly  opposed  to  IJritlsli 
competition,  and  did  everytliing  in  tlieir  })owcr 
to  thwart  tlie  company's  ch'signs,  even  going  so 
far  as  to  massacre  the  members  of  tlie  settle- 
ment at  Andjoyna  in  the  year  1022.  But,  in 
spite  of  all  opposition  from  either  European 
competitors  or  liostile  natives,  tlie  I^ritish  per- 
severed ;  and  bit  by  bit  their  ])ower  and  posses- 


sions grew. 


Their  plan  was  first  to  obtain  permission  to 
plant  a  trading-station,  or  "  factory  "  as  it  was 
called.  Presently  the  factory  developed  into 
a  fort,  the  fort  into  a  fortified  town,  and  so  on, 
until  it  became  the  capital  of  an  extensive  dis- 
trict. In  this  way  ^ladras,  Calcutta,  and  other 
cities  of  renown,  had  their  beginning. 

Some  of  the  incidents  of  those  early  days  are 
worth  noting.  Thus,  the  demand  for  ships  was 
so  great  that  the  ship-building  yard  at  Dept- 
ford  was  unable  to  meet  it;  and  another  yard 
had  to  be  obtained  at  Blackwall,  in  which  was 
built  the  Royal  George,  of  twelve  hundred 
tons,   the   largest   vessel   hitherto   constructed 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  JOHN  COMPANY.      80 

in  England.  In  the  year  1045  the  Emperor 
Shan  Jelian  showed  his  gratitudo  for  tho  ser- 
vices Surgeon  lioiiirliton  of  tlio  Hopewell  ren- 
dered the  heauties  of  his  zeiuuia,  hy  granting 
important  concessions  to  tho  company ;  and  in 
1G08  King  Charles  II.,  for  an  annual  rent  of 
ten  pounds,  transferred  to  them  Bombay,  which 
had  come  to  the  British  crown  as  part  of  tho 
dower  of  Catherine  of  Braijanza. 

With  the  Portuguese  and  the  Dutcli  out  of 
the  way,  the  company  for  a  time  had  plain 
sailing,  until  its  rapidly  growing  wealth  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  native  rulers ;  and 
the  Englishmen  found  that,  in  order  to  resist 
these  potentates'  increasing  extortions,  they 
must  needs  set  up  a  regular  army  and  naval 
establishment,  —  in  fact,  that,  while  continuing 
to  be  traders,  they  must  also  be  chiefs  and 
conquerors. 

Then  began  a  new  era  in  the  company's 
history.  During  the  following  century  and  a 
half,  there  were  few  years  free  from  wars  or 
rumors  of  wars.  Brilliant  successes  and  dis- 
heartening reverses  alternately  rejoiced  and 
saddened  the  hearts  of  the  shareholders,  and 
stirred  the  pulses  of  the  English  people.     The 


! 

Ml  \ 


HI  < 


I; 
I  i 


i 


r ! 


!^  I 


I*!   I 


90 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


period  is  illuminated  by  the  fame  of  great  com- 
manders, wise  statesmen,  and  admirable  ad- 
ministrators. The  names  of  Warren  Hastings, 
Robert  Clive,  and  Sir  Eyre  Cook ;  of  the  Mar- 
quises of  Cornwallis,  Wellesley,  and  Hast- 
ings ;  of  Generals  Holt,  Napier,  and  Pollock ; 
with  others  hardly  less  noteworthy,  —  form  a 
roll  of  heroes  scarce  to  be  equalled  in  the  his- 
tory of  any  other  land. 

Above  them  all,  the  names  of  Clive  and 
Hastings  stand  pre-eminent  for  the  romance 
of  their  careers.  That  of  the  former,  indeed, 
was  no  less  pathetic  than  romantic.  The  son 
of  a  small  land-owner  in  England,  Clive  seemed 
to  be  such  an  idle  scapegrace  of  a  boy  that  his 
friends  were  glad  to  get  rid  of  him  by  de- 
spatching him  to  Madras  as  a  clerk  in  the  ser- 
vice of  John  Company.  Poor  in  pocket  and 
shy  of  disposition,  detesting  the  dry  drudgery 
of  the  desk,  and  haunted  by  homesickness,  he 
twice  attempted  suicide;  and  it  was  only  on 
the  second  failure  that  he  flunrif  down  the  de- 
fective  pistol  with  a  conviction  that  destiny 
had  better  things  in  store  for  him.  His  oppor- 
tunity came  a  few  years  later,  when,  having 
resigned  his  clerkship  for  a  commission  in  the 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  JOHN  COMPANY.      91 


company's  army,  he  came  forward  with  a  dar- 
ing scheme  for  the  relief  of  Trichinopoly,  then 
besieged  by  the  French  and  their  Indian  allies. 
His  scheme  was  accepted,  and  proved  a  bril- 
liant success.  He  twice  defeated  the  French 
and  their  Indian  allies,  foiled  every  effort  of 
the  dashing  Dupleix,  and  razed  to  the  ground 
a  pompous  pillar  that  the  too  sanguine  French 
governor  had  set  up  in  honor  of  his  earlier 
victories. 

The  defence  of  Arcot  for  fifty  days  with 
three  hundred  and  twenty  men  all  told,  against 
a  besieging  force  numbering  no  less  than 
seventy-five  hundred,  which  finally  retired  in 
disorder ;  the  marvellous  victory  of  Plassey, 
when,  to  wreak  vengeance  upon  Surajah  Dow- 
lah  for  the  awful  crime  of  the  Black  Hole  of 
Calcutta,  he  attacked  him  with  only  three 
thousand  infantry  against  fifty  thousand  foot 
and  fourteen  thousand  horse,  and  sent  the 
whole  vast  army  in  headlong  rout  before  him, 
losing  only  twenty-three  killed  in  the  action, 
—  these  and  similar  astonishing  exploits  raised 
him  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  fame,  and  proved 
that  Pitt  had  not  spoken  too  strongly  in  call- 
ing him  a  "heaven-born  general." 


t 


92 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


»M 


But,  alaa  I  tlio  clouds  that  liad  sliadowcd 
his  early  days  rcippearcd  iu  the  very  zenith 
of  his  career.  Returning  to  England,  broken 
in  health  by  his  niiglity  exertions,  he  was  met 
by  false  and  cruel  charges  of  abuse  of  power 
and  extortion.  lie  personally  refuted  tliese 
accusations,  but  took  them  so  keenly  to  -heart 
that,  in  a  lit  of  deep  melancholy,  he  died  by 
his  own  hands,  in  November,  1774,  when  he 
had  just  completed  his  forty-ninth  year. 

Warren  IlastiiKjfs,  whose  name  an.d  fame  are 
inseparably  associated  with  Robert  Olive's,  had 
an  equally  unpromising  start  in  life.  Plis 
chance  came  when  he  obtained  a  seat  in  the 
Calcutta  Council  in  the  year  17G1.  If  Clive 
was  the  ideal  commander  for  those  trouble- 
ous  times,  Hastings  was  the  ideal  statesman 
and  administrator.  What  the  one  gained  by 
astounding  daring  and  strategy,  the  other  re- 
tained by  strong  and  sagacious  statecraft ;  and, 
as  if  to  complete  the  parallel,  Hastings  on  his 
return  to  Enoland  was  assailed,  as  Clive  had 
been,  with  a  startling  array  of  charges  based 
upon  his  administration  of  affairs  in  India. 
Burke  and  Slieridan  exhausted  the  resources 
of  tiieir  oratoiy  in  denouncing  this  conduct. 


JtlSJS  AND  FALL   OF  JOHN  COMPANY.      93 


he 


ty 


ces 
t. 


Tlio  IIouso  of  Commons  sustained  tlie  allecra- 
tions.  lie  Avas  conseqULMitly  impcaoliod  boforo 
the  IIouso  of  Lords.  But,  after  a  iiu!inora])lo 
trial  that  lasted  more  than  seven  years,  lie 
was  lionorably  aequitted  l)y  tliat  auf^iist  tri- 
bunal, and  retired  to  a  life  of  well-earned  ease 
and  dignity  for  nearly  a  quartc^r  of  a  eentury, 
in  Daylesford,  the  original  home  of  his  family, 
wliieli,  when  a  boy,  he  had  vowed  he  would 
reeover  before  ho  died. 

The  work  of  conquest  and  consolidation,  so 
well  begun  by  Clive  and  Hastings,  was  stead- 
fastly carried  on  in  the  face  of  difficulties  and 
set-backs  by  their  successors  in  council  and 
in  the  field,  some  of  whose  names  were  a  lit- 
tle while  ago  mentioned.  The  Mysore  wars, 
the  Mahratta  campaign,  the  great  battle  of 
Assaye,  when  General  Wellesley  (who  after- 
wards became  the  Duke  of  Wellington),  with 
only  forty-five  hundred  men,  defeated  a  j\Iuh- 
ratta  force  of  thirty  thousand  foot  and  twenty 
thousand  horse,  the  capture  of  the  imperial 
city  of  Delhi  by  General  Lake,  the  conquest 
of  the  Avarlike  Goorkhas,  the  bringing  to  terms 
of  the  fierce  Afghans,  the  crushing  of  tlie  Sikhs, 
—  Avhat  wonderful  feats  of  arms  these  were ! 


94 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


VI 


f,      ! 


And  all  this  was  done  by  the  servants  of  a 
corporation,  not  of  a  king  or  an  emperor.  Again 
and  again,  in  spite  of  strong  opposition,  was 
tlie  charter  of  the  company  renewed.  The  last 
renewal  would  have  carried  it  on  until  1873. 
But  in  1857  broke  out  the  Sepoy  rebellion, 
with  all  its  appalling  consequences.  The  com- 
pany was  unequal  to  the  task  of  coping  with  it. 
The  limit  of  its  power  had  been  reached.  To 
save  India  to  the  British  crown,  it  was  neces- 
sary that  the  British  government  should  assume 
the  charge  of  this  vast  empire.  Accordingly, 
in  the  following  year,  this  was  effected,  and 
the  long  and  romantic  career  of  John  Com- 
pany came  to  an  end. 

For  more  tlian  two  centuries  this  remarkable 
organization  had  filled  a  place  in  human  history 
no  other  company  ever  approached.  For  a 
whole  century  it  had  ruled  an  empire  of  its 
own,  worthy  to  be  ranked  among  the  great  em- 
pires of  the  world.  And,  besides  paying  fine 
dividends  to  its  shareholders,  what  had  it  done 
for  its  subjects  ? 

Among  many  benefits  conferred  upon  them 
were  these  :  the  security  of  person  and  property 
from  the  cruelty  and  rapacity  of  tyrannous  ru- 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  JOHN   COMPANY.      05 

lers ;  the  establislinieiit  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty ;  the  abolition  of  slavery,  widow-burn- 
ing, thuggism,  and  infanticide ;  the  building  of 
roads  and  bridges  connecting  the  different  parts 
of  the  country ;  the  introduction  of  the  steam- 
boat and  the  railroad,  and  of  those  twin  agen- 
cies in  promoting  civilization  and  uplifting 
mankind,  the  printing-press  and  the  Bible. 

A  glorious  record  truly ;  and  if  there  be  some 
spots  upon  the  sun,  let  it  not  be  forgotten  that, 
but  for  the  East  India  Company,  the  great  Em- 
pire of  India  might  be  to-day  no  higher  in  the 
scale  of  civilization  than  Persia  or  Afghanistan. 
Taking  it  all  in  all,  John  Company  deserves 
to  be  considered  the  savior  of  India. 


ix; 


77//;  /;(>.)/.LV(  /•;  or  ( ommhih  i:. 


i       i 


CUAVTVM   IX. 


THE   HUDSON  S   llAV   TKA1>1N(5    COMPANY. 

UNgrKSTioNAHLY  tlio  iiK^st  strikiiiir  cliaptors 
in  tlio  roiHiiiUH'  of  connuorcH^  ivl;itt3  to  two  ro- 
iiwirkablo  i'or[)oiatioiis,  wluch,  though  Iiaving 
imu'li  in  connnon  in  tluMr  constitntion  antl 
powers,  woiv  sin«;ularly  dissiniihir  in  tho  nature 
of  their  domain,  and  cliarai'ter  of  their  product. 
Tlie}'  both  had  tlieir  birth  in  England  in  the 
jseventeentli  century.  Tliey  both  were  nomi- 
nally mere  trading  associations,  having  nothing 
more  and)itions  in  view  tlian  the  securinix  of 
large  dividends  for  their  shareholders,  yet  in 
reality  held  almost  imperial  sway  over  un- 
counted leagues  of  territory.  They  were  both 
the  subject  of  lieri*e  attacks  that  at  times  put 
their  very  existence  in  jeopardy,  and  in  the  end 
they  had  both  to  succund)  to  the  resistless 
march  of  civilization,  which  in  these  latter 
days,  when  the  ends  of  the  earth  are  drawing 
nearer  together,  could  not  tolerate  the  idea  of 
commercial  corporations  keeping  to  themselves 


f") 


PRINCE  RUPERT. 
Mezzotint  by  himself, 


UUV80N\S  BAY  T  HA  DING   COMPANY.       97 


vast  landed  possessions  fifc  to  be  tlio  liomes  of 
nations.  So  much  had  these  two  mighty  corpo- 
rations alike ;  but  while  the  one  bargained, 
intrigued,  fought,  and  waxed  opulent  under  the 
burning  rays  of  an  Oriental  sun,  the  otlier  pur- 
sued a  quieter,  though  liardly  less  prosperous, 
career  amidst  the  snov  /  wilderness  of  this 
Western  world.  The  story  of  one  has  just  been 
briefly  sketched.  The  following  pages  outline 
the  history  of  the  otlier. 

It  was  in  the  merry  days  of  the  Restoration, 
when  the  second  Charles  might  well  be  lavish 
toward  those  who  had  faithfully  served  his 
father  "  of  sacred  memory,"  that  to  a  hero  of 
many  battles,  retired  upon  his  laurels  to  spend 
a  well-earned  furlough  in  fascinating,  if  not 
particularly  fruitful,  chemical  experiments, 
appeared  one  Des  Groseliers,  an  enterprising 
Frenchman  who  had  travelled  much  in  North 
America,  and  made  acquaintance  with  the  In- 
dian tribes  inhabiting  the  southern  part  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  region.  Monsieur  Des  Grose- 
liers's  story  was  calculated  to  fire  the  heart  of 
a  less  adventurous  being  than  Prince  Rupert, 
whose  attention  had  indeed  been  already 
drawn  to   that  terra  incognita^  by  reading   in 


08 


TIIK  noMAXCK  OF  COMMERCE. 


W 


u 


Marco  Polo  liow  the  I'ciiowiumI  VLMiotiaii  trav- 
eller found  in  the  lent  of  the  Grand  Khan  of 
Tartary  furs  and  sables  "brought  from  the 
North,  the  land  of  darkness,"  and  had  thereby 
stirred  within  him  the  thought  of  what  a  splen- 
did scheme  it  would  bo  to  put  forth  an  organ- 
ized effort  to  tap  this  treasury  of  precious 
peltries.  The  Frenchman  found  an  interested 
listener ;  and  the  sequel  was,  that  after  an  ex- 
perimental trip  had  been  made  in  1668,  with 
encouraging  results,  a  joint-stock  company  of 
noblemen  and  gentry,  with  "  our  dear  and  en- 
tirely beloved  cousin,  Prince  Rupert,  Count 
Palatine  of  the  Rhine,"  as  its  leading  spirit, 
was  formed  under  the  imposing  title  of  "The 
Honorable  Governor  and  Company  of  IMerchant 
Adventurers  trading  into  Hudson's  Bay,"  and 
having  for  its  motto  the  words  "Pro  pelle  cu- 
tem^^^  an  application  of  Scripture  whose  wit  and 
felicity  it  would  not  be  easy  to  parallel. 

This  corpoi  ttion,  in  the  year  1670,  obtained 
from  the  free-handed  king  a  charter  investing 
it  with  the  monopoly  of  the  furs  and  lands  of 
all  the  borders  of  all  the  streams  flowing  into 
Hudson's  Bay,  not  occupied  by  the  subject  of 
any   Christian    prince;    and,  furthermore,  the 


.1 


1 


JIUnsON'S    liAV   TUATUNC;   COMPANY.       90 


privilege  to  make  war  and  peace  witli  the  peo- 
ple not  subjects  of  any  Christian  prince.  The 
nominal  consideration  for  this  royal  bounty  was 
the  annual  payment  of  two  elks  and  two  black 
beavers,  which,  liowever,  were  only  to  be  ex- 
acted when  the  sovereign  should  liappen  to  be 
within  the  territories  granted.  It  is  immensely 
to  the  credit  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
that  these  practically  unlimited  powers  were 
from  the  first  wielded  with  marked  moderation, 
humanity,  and  equity ;  so  that,  without  in  any 
wise  intending  it,  the  corporation  undoubtedly 
became  a  factor  of  inestimable  value  in  the 
subsequent  peaceable  occupation  of  the  North- 
west by  the  white  settlers. 

The  first  post  established  by  the  company 
was  Moose  Factory,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
running  into  the  extreme  south  of  James  Bay; 
Forts  Albany,  York,  and  Churchill,  command- 
ing the  wJiole  western  shore  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
followed  in  due  time ;  and  each  succeeding  year 
found  the  company  waxing  more  prosperous 
and  powerful.  They  were  not,  however,  to 
have  it  all  their  own  way,  remote  as  the  field 
of  their  operations  might  seem  to  be  from  cen- 
tres of  human  interest.     The  value  of  the  Hud- 


L 


! 


1(10 


riih:  ii(>MAt\(i':  of  coMMEncE. 


sou's  \\\\y  ti'iritoiii'S  was  by  no  luciins  unknown 
to  the  Freut'li,  who  were  then  masters  of  Can- 
ada ;  and,  h)Ug  before  Priuee  Rupert  acted  as 
the  promoter  of  the  Kuglisli  company,  a  charter 
liad  been  conferred  by  Louis  XIII.  \\\k)\\  a  num- 
ber of  his  subjects,  containing  terms  almost 
identical  with  tliose  jxranted  bv  his  "  dear 
cousin"  Charles.  Thus  was  the  Company  of 
New  France  founded,  on  the  27th  of  April, 
1G27. 

Nor  were  the  pretensions  of  the  French  with- 
out foundation.  Fourteen  years  before  the 
date  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  charter, 
Jean  Bourdon,  sometime  chief  engineer  and 
procureur  of  New  France,  claimed  to  have 
penetrated  overland  as  far  as  the  shore  of  the 
bay,  and  to  have  taken  possession  of  the  neigh- 
boring territories  in  the  name  of  Louis  XIV. ; 
and  six  years  later  the  Des  Groseliers  already 
mentioned  did,  without  doubt,  reach  the  bay 
by  sea,  and  establish  a  trading-post  there ; 
while  the  following  3-ear  Despres  Couture,  if 
he  is  to  be  relied  upon,  made  his  way  overland 
to  the  bay,  and  buried,  at  the  foot  of  a  big  tree, 
a  French  flag,  a  sword,  and  a  plate  of  copper, 
having   engraved    upon    it    the    arms    of    the 


JIL'DSOWS    liAV    Tli.HHS'd    (JOMrANV.      101 


French  king,  in  token  of  the  occupation  of 
the  country  in  his  Miijesty's  name.  If  tliese  in- 
teresting relics  could  only  he  resurrected  now, 
how  precious  tlicy  would  he  !  Under  tliese  cir- 
cumstances the  Frenc!i  could  hardly  he  hlamed 
for  contesting  the  occupation  of  the  country 
by  the  English  company;  and  in  1080  the  re- 
nowned Sieur  d'lherville,  supported  by  two  of 
his  hardly  less  famous  brothers,  headed  a  hos- 
tile expedition  into  the  bay,  which  captured 
three  out  of  tlie  live  forts  established  by  the 
company,  and  several  of  its  vessels  into  the 
bargain. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  warfare  which 
waged  intermittently  between  the  two  powers 
with  varying  success  for  more  than  a  century, 
and  seriously  interfered  with  the  operations  of 
the  company,  whose  forts  were  occui)ied,  trade 
interrupted,  and  energies  weakened  from  time 
to  time.  Nevertheless,  although  the  records 
show  that  between  1082  and  1088  its  losses 
amounted  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
pounds,  so  enormous  were  the  profits  upon  its 
operations  that  its  annual  dividends  averaged 
from  twenty -five  to  fifty  per  cent,  and  the  stock 
soon  became  the  most  "  gilt-edged  "  investment 


I 


102 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


of  the  day,  the  shares  being  practically  never 
in  the  market,  but  jealously  retained  as  heir- 
looms, and  handed  down  from  father  to  son 
after  the  fashion  of  entailed  estates. 

The  last  and  most  notable  act  in  the  drama 
of  war,  of  which  Hudson's  Bay  formed  the 
theatre,  was  the  capture  of  Fort  Prince  of 
Wales,  in  1782,  by  the  famous  French  admiral, 
La  P^rouse.  This  splendid  structure,  which 
took  twenty-five  years  to  build,  was  intended 
to  guard  the  entrance  to  Churchill  Harbor.  It 
was  about  four  hundred  feet  square,  with  ma- 
sonry walls  six  feet  thick  and  twenty  feet  high ; 
and  the  black  muzzles  of  forty-two  cannon 
thrust  themselves  threateningly  through  its 
entrance.  Yet  when  La  P^rouse  appeared  be- 
fore it  in  a  seventy-four,  accompanied  by  two 
frigates,  and  summoned  it  to  yield.  Governor 
Hearne,  evidently  deeming  discretion  the  bet- 
ter part  of  valor,  lowered  the  British  flag  that 
had  been  floating  proudly  in  the  breeze,  and 
replaced  it  with  a  table-cloth  in  token  of  com- 
plete surrender.  The  conqueror  spiked  the 
cannon,  partially  destroyed  the  walls,  and 
sailed  away  with  the  garrison  as  prisoners  of 
war.     The  damage  done  by  him  was  never  re- 


HUDSON'S  BAY  TRADING  COMPANY,     103 


paired ;  and  the  old  fort  stands  to-day,  probably 
the  most  imposing  ruin  of  the  kind  on  the  con- 
tinent, with  the  guns  that  were  never  fired  still 
rusting  upon  the  ramparts,  and  cannon-balls, 
balked  of  their  mission,  strewing  the  interior. 
One  would  naturally  expect  that,  so  soon  as 
they  had  obtained  a  firm  foothold  on  the  shore 
of  Hudson's  Bay,  the  officials  of  the  company 
would  seek  to  penetrate  into  the  vast  region 
stretching  out  indefinitely  to  the  west  and 
south,  from  which  the  Indians,  with  whom 
they  dealt,  drew  their  supplies  of  precious  pel- 
tries. But  such  was  not  the  case  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, they  were  very  slow  to  venture  away 
from  the  sight  of  the  sea,  although  the  mana- 
gers in  England  were  most  anxious  for  them  to 
push  inland,  offering  special  rewards  to  those 
who  should  take  part  in  such  expeditions,  and 
pensions  to  the  widows  of  all  whose  lives  might 
pay  forfeit  for  their  enterprise.  The  men  them- 
selves were  not  so  much  to  blame  for  this  inac- 
tion as  the  organization  of  the  company.  It 
was,  as  Father  Drummond  shrewdly  indicates, 
too  wooden,  too  much  on  the  London  counting- 
house  plan.  There  was  no  spontaneity,  no 
adjusting  of  means  to  an  altered  environment, 


t    ..Vlil 


104 


TDE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


i  I M 


'ii' 


:ji 


h 


nothing  of  what  Parkmaa  calls  "that  pliant 
and  plastic  temper  which,  in  the  French,  forms 
so  marked  a  contrast  to  the  stubborn  spirit  of 
the  Englishman."  With  a  view  to  isolating 
their  officials,  the  company  forbade  them  enter- 
ing an  Indian  lodge.  At  least  one  man  was 
flogged  for  lighting  his  pipe  at  an  Indian's 
tent.  The  factors  feared  the  interior  as  a  land 
of  unknown  danger.  Terrible  stories  were  cir- 
culated, to  keep  up  a  dread  of  the  Indians  and 
the  French.  Minute  instructions  were  given  to 
the  men  to  protect  themselves,  especially  in  the 
winter.  Scouts  were  to  reconnoitre  every  daj'; 
and  did  they  not  return  by  nightfall,  every- 
thing was  to  be  got  ready  for  a  siege.  At  all 
times  the  cannon  were  to  be  in  order,  and  all 
obstructions  that  might  impede  the  view  from 
the  fort  were  to  be  cleared  away. 

Hampered  by  these  restrictions,  which  were 
as  unnecessar}'  as  they  were  burdensome,  the 
officials  naturally  enough  preferred  tlie  com- 
fortable, if  commonplace,  life  at  the  forts  to 
the  discomforts,  difficulties,  and  dangers  in- 
separable from  expeditions  into  the  interior. 
Thus  it  came  about  that  more  than  a  century 
elapsed  before  they  first  made  their  way  into 


wk 

^u. 

HUDSON'S  BAY  TliADIXG   COMPANY.     105 


the  Red  River  region,  wliic^li  subsequently  be- 
came   the    centre   of   their  operations. 

But,  in  the  meantime,  tlie  French  Canadians 
were  showing  a  far  different  spirit.  Knowing 
nothing  about  the  exclusive  privileges  of  tlie 
company,  or  caring  less  if  they  did  ha[)nen  to 
be  informed,  their  coureurs  du  hols.,  following 
in  the  track  of  La  Verandrye,  year  b}'  year  in 
increasing  numbers,  set  out  from  McMitreal, 
ascended  the  Ottawa,  made  their  way  by  por- 
tage, lake,  and  stream  to  Lake  Nipissing, 
thence  into  the  greater  Lake  Huron,  across 
that  inland  ocean,  Lake  Superior,  to  its  far- 
thest shore,  where  the  Kaministiquia  was  en- 
tered, and  the  voyage  continued  through  Lac 
la  Pluie  (Rainy  Lake)  and  river,  over  Lac 
du  Bois  (Lake  of  the  Woods),  and  down  the 
River  Ouinipique  (Winnipeg)  into  the  lake 
of  the  same  name,  thus  reaching  the  borders 
of  the  fertile  prairies,  where  the  buffalo  took 
the  place  of  the  deer,  and  which  rolled  away 
in  billows  of  verdure  until  they  broke  at  the 
base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  the  ter- 
rible grizzly  met  the  trappers  with  fearless 
front. 

These  coureurs  du  hois  were  perfectly  adapted 


106 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


I     'I 


^ii 


li  . 


i; 


for  their  business.  They  always  kept  on 
the  best  of  terms  with  the  Indians.  They 
treated  them  as  their  equals.  *'  Witli  that 
light-hearted  bravery  and  cheerful  fortitude 
so  common  among  the  descendants  of  the 
French,"  writes  one  of  their  eulogists,  "they 
sought  out  the  savage  in  his  wigwam.  They 
often  spent  the  whole  winter  with  him,  bear- 
ing with  all  his  rudeness  and  caprices,  and 
winning  their  way  to  his  heart  before  they 
asked  for  his  furs.  Quick  to  learn  the  Indian 
languages  and  the  tricks  of  Indian  life,  fertile 
in  expedients,  they  were  loyal  and  warm- 
hearted to  the  core.  They  were  not  mere  cal- 
culating-machines or  animated  money-bags. 
Instead  of  waiting  for  the  savage,  they  met 
him  on  his  own  ground,  and  began  by  making 
him  presents  of  trinkets  and  tobacco;  and  not 
until  they  had  him  in  good-humor  did  they 
broach  the  question  of  trade." 

Naturally  enough,  the  Indian  very  much 
preferred  dealing  with  these  fascinating  fel- 
lows, who  came  right  to  his  wigwam,  to  travel- 
ling away  up  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  fort,  where, 
he  would  be  stiffly  received  by  an  official  who 
spoke  to  him  through  a  barred  window,  and 


HUDSON'S  BAY  TRADING  COMPANY.     107 


jl- 

fel- 

10 

id 


I 


whose  manner  seemed  to  say,  *'  Be  off  as  soon 
as  you  are  fleeced ; "  and  the  consequence  was 
that  the  pick  of  the  peltry  found  its  way  into 
the  hands  of  the  French,  and  went  by  the 
overland  route  to  Montreal,  while  only  the 
beaver  and  otter  skins  got  up  to  Hudson's  Bay. 
It  was  not  long  before  the  managers  of  the 
company  realized  that  this  state  of  things  must 
not  be  permitted  to  continue ;  and  again  and 
again  we  find  the  General  Court  writing  to  the 
factors,  and  urging  upon  them  the  necessity  of 
securing  other  furs  than  beaver  and  otter.  In 
response  to  these  repeated  demands,  the  factors 
sought  to  extend  the  sphere  of  their  opera- 
tions by  establishing  forts  farther  inland.  As, 
year  by  year,  they  thus  made  their  way  to 
the  south  and  west,  it  could  only  be  a  ques- 
tion of  time  when  they  must  encounter  the 
ever-increasing  stream  of  expeditions  which  had 
their  source  in  Montreal ;  and  the  first  meet- 
ing did  take  place  in  the  year  1774  at  Fort 
Cumberland,  on  the  Saskatchewan  River.  "In 
that  year,"  says  Professor  Bryce,  "  the  two 
rival  currents  of  trade,  Canadian  and  English, 
met  in  the  far  north-west ;  and  the  struggle 
between  them  began,  which  for  well  nigh  fifty 


108 


THE  llOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


\X 


years  went  unceasingly  on,  now  in  dangerous 
eddy,  then  in  boiling  whirlpool,  till  at  length 
as  one  stream  they  flowed  on  together  in  one 
course." 

The  stru<]f<xle  tlius  referred  to  forms  the  most 
exciting  portion  of  the  history  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  and  at  the  same  time  the  por- 
tion concerning  which,  owing  to  the  bewil- 
dering variety  of  contradictory  evidence,  it  is 
most  difficult  to  arrive  at  clear  and  satisfactory 
conclusions.  The  company,  of  course,  looked 
upon  the  Canadian  traders  as  unauthorized  in- 
vaders of  its  territory ;  for  the  bulk  of  the  furs 
they  secured  were  undoubtedly  obtained  from 
Indians  whose  hunting-grounds  came  within 
the  terms  of  the  company's  charter.  Not  only 
so,  but  these  intruders  were  guilty  of  inter- 
cepting Indians  on  the  way  to  the  forts ;  and, 
what  made  the  matter  worse,  the  furs  the  red 
man  bore  were  already  pledged  to  the  com- 
pany for  advances  made  them.  Now,  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  officials  Avere  not  the  men  to  endure 
this  sort  of  thing  in  silence.  For  the  most 
part  they  were  Scotchmen  of  the  sturdiest 
type ;  and  the  aggressions  of  the  Canadians, 
Scotch    though    many    of    them     were    also, 


HUDSON'S  BAY  TRADING   COMPANY.     109 


:ud" 

lure 
lost 
liest 
ms, 
llso. 


aroused  in  them  an  angry  spirit  which  could 
lead  but  in  one  direction.  Sooner  or  later  the 
matter  had  to  resolve  itself  into  a  question  of 
force ;  and  in  the  meantime  they  were  ready  to 
say  with  Wordsworth  that  — 


it 


.    .     .    the  good  old  rule 
Sufficeth  them,  the  simple  plan, 
That  they  should  take  who  have  the  power, 
And  they  should  keep  who  can." 


It  would  appear  that  the  Canadians  disputed 
the  right  of  the  company  to  exercise  any  mo- 
nopoly in  the  north-west,  and  in  proportion  to 
the  weakness  of  their  position  were  strong  in 
its  reiteration.  It  seems  equally  clear  that  from 
the  first  they  did  not  hesitate  to  resort  to  vio- 
lence and  intimidation  in  order  to  gain  their 
ends.  But  the  worst  feature  of  all  was  their 
introduction  of  fire-water  into  these  territories, 
which  hitherto  had  known  nothing  of  human- 
ity's chief  curse.  Owing  to  the  advantages  of 
its  position,  the  company  was  able  to  offer 
higher  prices  to  the  Indians  than  its  rivals 
could;  and,  in  order  the  better  to  obtain  and 
retain  control  of  the  poor  red  man,  the  Cana- 
dians resorted  to  the  importation  of  spirits,  for 
which  he  at  once  manifested  the  frantic  pas- 


i;: 


110 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


■.  < 


m 


^1 


i^i 


sion  that  was  lying  dormant  awaiting  the  ad- 
vent of  the  tempter.  It  liad  been  from  the 
first  a  leading  principle  of  the  company  that 
no  spirits  should  on  any  account  be  sold  to 
the  Indians,  and  it  is  one  of  the  brightest 
leaves  in  their  laurels  that  their  officials  so 
long  adhered  to  this  in  spite  of  many  tempta- 
tions. 

Close  upon  the  introduction  of  the  accursed 
fire-water  into  their  dealings,  the  elements  of 
violence  and  bloodshed,  hitherto  happily  un- 
known, began  to  manifest  themselves  between 
the  red  man  and  his  white  brother.  The  most 
daring  and  turbulent  spirits  were  now  attracted 
to  the  Canadian  fur-trade;  and,  if  we  follow 
Professor  Bryce,  the  chief  qualities  sought  in 
those  sent  out  from  Montreal  were  a  love  of 
violence,  and  a  thorough  hatred  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company.  They  were  not  long, 
however,  in  finding  out  their  folly  in  resort- 
ing to  strong  drink  as  a  means  of  increasing 
their  trade ;  for  while  it  did  undoubtedly  give 
them  a  temporary  advantage  over  the  company, 
retribution  followed  fast.  In  the  year  1780,  at 
Eagle  Hills,  on  the  Saskatchewan,  the  rendez- 
vous of  the  Montreal  traders,  a  liberal  allow- 


«  I  . 


HUDSON'S  HAY  TliADIXG   COM  PAN  V.     Ill 


at 
iw- 


aiice  of  grog  was  bestowed  upon  a  lai-ge  baiul 
of  Indians  ;  and  one  of  the  traders,  wlio  had  had 
some  trouble  with  a  chief,  put  a  big  dose  of 
laudanum  into  his  glass  by  way  of  subduing 
his  aggressiveness.  The  experiment  proved  a 
complete  success  in  that  regard,  for  the  Indian 
never  awakened  from  the  drunken  stupor  into 
which  he  immediately  fell.  But  his  friends 
and  followers,  not  appreciating  the  situation, 
arose  in  their  wrath,  attacked  the  camp,  killed 
the  offending  trader  as  well  as  several  of  the 
men,  and  sent  the  survivors  flying  for  their 
lives,  leaving  a  fine  collection  of  valuable  furs 
behind.  A  little  later,  two  posts  on  the  Assini- 
boine  River  were  attacked,  and  a  number  of 
traders  and  Indians  were  slain  in  the  struggle. 
These  lamentable  events  were  but  the  begin- 
ning of  sorrows.  Thenceforth  matters  went 
from  bad  to  worse,  until  at  length  the  business 
became  utterly  disorganized,  and  the  traders 
bankrupt  in  purse  and  morals  alike. 

In  the  meantime  the  company  had  not  been 
slow  in  defending  its  interests.  It  was  not 
according  to  human  nature  that  its  sturdy 
Scotchmen  should  remain  indifferent  spectators 
of  unscrupulous  endeavors  to  cut  the  ground 


112 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


-! 


■„,! 


from  under  tlieir  feet.  They  had  already 
shown  their  ability  to  protect  tlieir  interests 
by  more  than  one  device.  By  fomenting  divis- 
ions and  animosities  among  the  Indian  tribes 
in  the  interior,  they  had  made  it  difticult  and 
dangerous  for  any  one  but  themselves  to  trade 
with  them.  They  had  even  gone  so  far  ui)on 
one  occasion  as  to  seize  and  drive  ashore  two 
ships  that  had  ventured  into  Hudson's  Bay  on 
a  trading  expedition,  pleading  in  extenuation 
that  the  vessels  were  lost  through  stress  of 
weather.  And  now  they  bent  all  their  energies 
to  the  task  of  opposing,  hindering,  and  ruining 
the  petty  rivals  who  had  the  presumption  to 
encroach  upon  their  domain.  Tlie  latter  soon 
realized  tho  necessity  of  combination  if  they 
would  not  be  driven  out.  So  powerful  and 
well-intrenched  was  the  company  that  only  an 
organization  of  corresponding  magnitude  and 
resources  could  hope  to  cope  with  it  success- 
fully. From  this  necessity  sprang,  in  the  year 
1783,  the  famous  North-west  Fur  Comppjiy  of 
Montreal,  which,  beginning  with  a  mere  part- 
nership of  the  principal  merchants  engaged 
in  the  fur  trade,  developed  with  astonishing 
growth    until   it  positively   overshadowed    its 


HUDSON'S   HAY   TliADIXa    COMrANV.      113 


elder  riviil.  The  nictliotl  of  the  Iliulsoirs  Bay 
Company  was  to  pay  its  employees  simply  by 
salary,  but  the  new  company  introduced  a  bet- 
ter system.  Every  ofiicer  had  before  him  the 
immense  inducement  of  a  probable  partnership, 
for  thus  were  the  faithful  and  energetic  ones 
by  due  process  of  promotion  rewarded.  This 
masterly  policy  kept  every  man  up  to  the  high- 
water  mark  of  his  abilities;  and  the  result  was 
that  in  a  few  years  from  the  inception  of  this 
enterprise  the  annual  profits  had  reached  tho 
splendid  figure  of  forty  thousand  pounds,  wliile 
ten  years  later  they  were  three  times  that 
amount.  The  conservative  old  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  was  astonished  at  the  magnificence  of 
the  newcomers,  and  old  traders  yet  talk  of  the 
lordly  "North-wester."  Washington  Irving, 
who  was  a  guest  of  the  company  in  the  height 
of  its  prosperity,  has  given  us  a  characteristi- 
cally graphic  record  of  his  impression. 

The  principal  partners,  who  resided  in  Mon- 
treal and  Quebec,  formed  a  kind  of  commer- 
cial aristocracy,  living  in  lordly  and  hospitable 
style.  Their  early  associations  were  as  clerks 
at  the  remote  trading-posts ;  and  the  pleasures, 
dangers,  adventures,  and   mishaps   which  they 


114 


77/ a;   liOMAM'E  OF  COMMKliCK. 


;i 


lijul  sIuuhmI  t(tL,'('tlit'r  ill  tlu'ir  wild-wood  life 
lijul  linked  tlinii  lu'jirtily  to  eacli  other,  so 
tliat  tlicy  fonnod  a  convivial  fruternity.  Few 
tnivellers  that  liave  visited  Canada  in  the  days 
of  tlio  McTavishes,  the  MeClillivrays,  tlie  Me- 
Kenzies,  tlie  Frohishers,  and  the  otlier  mag- 
nates of  tlie  iiortli-west,  when  the  company 
was  in  all  its  gloiy,  but  must  remember  the 
round  of  feasting  and  revelry  kept  up  among 
the  Hyperborean  nabobs. 

Sometimes  one  or  two  partners,  recently 
from  interior  posts,  would  make  their  a2)pear- 
ance  in  New  York,  in  the  course  of  a  tour  of 
pleasure  and  curiosity.  On  these  occasions 
there  was  always  a  degree  of  magnificence  of 
the  purse  about  them,  and  a  peculiar  propensity 
to  expenditure  at  the  goldsmiths  and  jewellers 
for  rings,  chains,  broodies,  watches,  and  other 
rich  trinkets,  —  a  gorgeous  prodig,.uty  such  as 
was  often  noticed  in  former  times  in  Southern 
planters  and  West  India  Creoles,  when  flush 
with  the  profits  of  their  plantations. 

To  behold  the  North-west  Company  in  all 
its  state  and  grandeur,  however,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  witness  an  annual  gathering  at  the 
great  interior  place  of  conference  established 


jnrj)S0N\s  itAY  ruADTNa  company.    11 5 


lit  Fort  William,  mnir  wluit  is  called  ili(?  Grand 
Portagij  of  J^ako  Superior.  Here  two  or  three 
of  tlio  leading  partners  from  Montreal  pro- 
ceeded onco  a  year  to  meet  the  partners  from 
the  various  trading-posts  of  the  wilderness,  to 
discuss  the  affairs  of  the  company  during  tlio 
preceding  year,  and  to  arrange  plans  for  the 
future. 

On  these  occasions  might  bo  seen  the  change 
since  the  unceremonious  times  of  the  old 
French  traders  and  the  coureurs  du  hols ;  for 
now  the  aristocratic  character  of  the  Briton 
shone  forth  magnificently,  or,  rather,  the  feu- 
dal spirit  of  the  Highlander.  Every  partner 
who  had  charge  of  an  interior  post,  and  a 
score  of  retainers  at  his  command,  felt  like 
the  chieftain  of  a  Highland  clan,  and  was  al- 
most as  important  in  the  eyes  of  his  depend- 
ants as  in  his  own.  To  him  a  visit  to  the 
grand  conference  at  Fort  William  was  a  most 
important  event ;  and  he  repaired  thither  as  to 
a  meeting  of  Parliament. 

The  partners  from  Montreal,  however,  were 
the  lords  of  the  ascendant.  Coming  from  the 
midst  of  luxurious  and  ostentatious  life,  they 
quite  eclipsed  their  compeers  from  the  woods, 


in; 


77/ a;   IiO.\fAN('E  OF  COMMEliCK. 


'  '^ 


H 


whose  forms  anil  faces  had  Ihhmi  hatierod  and 
liardLMiod  by  hard  living  and  hard  service. 
Inileed,  the  partners  from  below  considered 
the  whole  dignity  of  the  company  as  repre- 
sented in  their  persons,  and  conducted  them- 
selves in  suitable  style.  They  ascended  tho 
river  in  cfreat  state,  like  sovereiufus  making  a 
progress.  They  were  wrapi>ed  in  rich  furs, 
their  huge  canoes  freighted  with  every  conven- 
ience and  luxury,  and  manned  by  Canadian 
voyageurs  as  obedient  as  Highland  clansmen. 
They  carrieil  with  them  their  cooks  and  bar- 
bers, together  with  delicacies  of  every  kind, 
and  abundance  of  choice  wines  for  the  ban- 
quets which  attended  this  convocation.  Happy 
were  thev,  too,  if  they  could  have  some  dis- 
tinguished  strangers  —  above  all,  some  mem- 
ber of  the  British  nobility  —  to  grace  their 
hio'h  solenniities. 

Fort  William,  the  scene  of  this  important 
annual  meeting,  was  a  considerable  village  on 
the  farther  shore  of  Lake  Superior. 

As  already  pointed  out,  the  Hudson's  Baj 
Company  was  slow  in  extending  its  operations 
beyond  the  region  directly  tributary  to  the 
bay,  and  its  oi^cials  seemed  to  prefer  that  the 


HUDSON'S  liAV  TliADTNa   COMI'ANY^.      117 


Tndiaii.s  should  coiiio  to  i]nm\   instisid  of  tlu!ir 
Cfoinir  <^nt  to  scok  tlic   Iiidiuns.      l>!il  now   tlio 
Nor'-Westcrs  pusluMl  away  north  and  west,  un- 
til they  not  only  touched  the  feet  of  the  Uocky 
Mountains,  but  fearlessly   scaled  that  mighty 
harrier,    and   floated   upon    the    waters   of    tho 
Peace  Uiver.     At  tho  first,  they  met  with   no 
active  op[)osition  from   their  older  rivals;  and 
it  is  possible  that  tho  two  organizations  might 
never   have   come  into  active   conflict  but  for 
a  series  of  events,  not  directly  connected  with 
the  fur  trade,  which  precipitated  the  struggle. 
Lord    Selkirk    was    a    philanthropic    Scotch 
nobleman,    whoso    kind    heart    was    stirred    to 
its  depths  by   the   woes  of    his   fellow-country- 
men at  the  times  of  the  "  Iligldand  clearances  ;  " 
and  he  determined  to   devote   his  resources  to 
finding  for  some  of  them,  at  least,  the  oppor- 
tunity in  the  New  World  across  the   Atlantic 
"  to  redress  the  balance  of  the  Old."     lie  had 
heard  of  the  wonderful  pi'airies  of  the    north- 
west, waiting  only  to  be  tickled  with  the  hoe 
to  make  them   laugh  into  abundjint  harvests  ; 
and  after  planting  a  successful  colony  in  Prince 
Edward   Island,    he   forwarded   another  instal- 
ment of   emigrants,  via  Hudson's  Bay,   to  the 


Ill 


ns 


/  //  r  /.'i>  w  1  \  (  /'  «»;•  r.'V  V  f  In  !<: 


|>l;n\\M  ol"    (ho    IumI    liivt  I,  O'llnltli.Mliiiiit    m    rnlniiy 
wlwi'h  \\\  !:»1(M    NOMiM  Imm'ihho  lln»  inicloim 


tl 


o 


UM\^ 


Mo\  mco. 


n 


I"  IV  wow    I 

rho  Novihwosii  ('on<pin<y  nl  onoo  look 
];nn»,  U  wMntotl  thoMO  I'ovlilo  |\linnM  pro- 
s«M\o»l  n^A  IwnUinir  ivroinulM,  und  did  not  lolifdi 
tlu'  ido;\  of  thoif  l>oi\M>  popiilnli'd  lt\  llio  o\o\- 
u>     ll<o\i;^:\ndM    ol'    ({ton!     Hrilnin.       Isvoiy 


tl 


»>\\  n 


i>oss\'>lo  oUslMolo  \Vi>M  pluood  ill  il»0  \\i\\  nl' 
\\w  oolouis(s.  ln(in\idnlion.  miuI  »m«M)  vinlonoo, 
woro  n^sorlod  \\\  !\nd  iho  livoM  of  tlio   |M>or  v\\\'\ 


> 


r;\t\ls   \MMO   lillod   \\ill\    (otroi 


ri 


UM      0«»II1 


liiof 


st\\>uoiv     \n»'onso« 


\    11 


\o    r»^»^d    om 


I 


ijMiniM 


i     (I 


»o 


now    oon\p;n\y 


iind    lo    ot\;d>lo    \\\\\\    llio    l)oll(»r 


io    punish    thom,  lu^    houj^hf  i\ll    ll»<^    IlndNon'M 


1 


\;n 


ron\| 


>:\nv  s    s 


t»>v'U    h«»    oould    ohlMin,   iinlil. 


holdino  son\o  forty  thousMnd  pounds'  wortli 
ont  »^f  a  o;\pit;\l  of  ono  luradrod  Mnd  liv(»  thou- 
sand   ]>vninds.   ho    had    tho  oontrolliui;   intiMi^st. 


At  onoo  ho  Ivjran  to  oxoit  h\UKS(>ll  ajjanisl  Ww 
v>bno\ions  \\>r'-\vostors.  Kousini;-  up  tho  Hud- 
son Uays  from  thoir  lothar^y,  ho  instituted  a 
vio»n>us  oinnnotition.  WhiMvvor  tho  fornior 
ostaKishod  a  fort,  tho  lattor  huilt  auothor  uoar 
In-.  Kvovv  niothod  whioh  artiti"o.  fraud,  or  vwu 
violonco   oould   sno^^vst    was   adopted   by    ouch 


HI'lhUifN'M    II, \y     lUMHNU    iOMVANY 


\\\) 


(o  (illlwit    llin    oIImm    mimI    to   oi»lMi(i    llio    fiitM    of 
[\\{s    ItMliiiiiM,    wlio    (lid    Mol.   OMM    wIimI,    rriinpiiriy 

|M»(.     lln'if     I'lMH     MM     I'tlljr     MM     llicy     VV«MO     W'll     (»i».l'l 

('ni-  (liriii.  I'liilliMil  yno  rrlulivM  Koriin  ufriii'^;m}^ 
MlniipM  nl"  Iln>  i  tiMCM  irfUdh-'l  (o  liy  Mm  iiv)i.l,4. 
{)\{  Olio  orcMMidn  llin  1 1  iirlfutn'';  \\n.y  KfOiiU 
i'i>|M)ir(M|  llin  M|i}irn!irli  dl'  ii,  i)>iM(|  of  InHinjist 
rnriM'iiiiijr  from  m  liiniriri;r  rx  |ir(litJoM.  No 
HooJinr  wiiM  IIiIm  li<>iii(|  IIdmi  m,  jMiircl  hii.ll  w;m 
|;ivrii   lo  (liM   Nor'  Wr^'.lf'iM.      (»i«!(l,  |(f »'j»;u;i,f,io;i'; 


wriM   iiiiu 


lo     I' 


or    il,    nti'l    n,    royiil    t,ifn«!    w;i, 


l.arl. 


I'mI.  wliiln  llio  irvoJlciM  vvio  liippiMjr  (Ik;  jifrlit, 
flMllllHlic.  Ion  To  iJin  liillhi'',  oF  Sr,(»t,r|i  H'{'\-\  iu\(\ 
Hl.mlliH|»nyf!,  M,  Mc.oio  of  t",\.\\\v.y,\,  riiori  vv»'fM  l»imily 
1,    WJM'h     in    M,   fu'(lii»l«(|    Hpot,    }»!i,f,kiri{/^    K^•,fl;,i^f•,^ 


u 


nil 


ih 


fr 


Willi  ^n»o(|M  iMMl  |»r('(iiM  in/r  lor  Ji,  joiifrify.  r^ooh 
limy  mIiiiI.  oIT  Kilc.iilJy  ;  no  li»il<lin(^  of  l»fll,4,  no 
('nicKinjr  of  wliipM,  no  hIkhiIh  lo  tJio  <lo;.r4»  u.h 
lliry  <lisii,|»|»rji,r  iiil.o  llin  <l;ul<nf,MM,  vvliil';  thr-, 
hiill  ^rocH  inonily  on.  'Ilif,  follf»vvin;^  fl;i,y  tlio 
M()|'-VV<".hI.    mcoiiIh     i«',))ort,    t.lm,    Hiurif,     ['?i.rt,y     f<f 


Iiidi 


liUlM,     iind     UH     (IIIM 


y 


I 


M. 


i.H    t)OHsn»lf;    a   Hf 


;t   of 


HldijdiM  <l«'|>iirl.  from  llioir  foil;  wiUi  loudly  rlrirr- 
iiif^  ])(!I1m.  After  Ji  lonf^'  manjli  (>f  forty  rriiWiH 
ilic.y  rciicli  tlio  ('.n(',;i,m|)irH;rit,  only  to  find  all 
ilio  IndijuiH  gloriously  dnink,  «'uid  udl  a  hirjglo 


120 


THE  llOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


i 

1  ' 

ll 

skin,  not  even  the  tail  of  a  musquash,  to  repay 
them  for  their  trouble.  Then  it  was  tliat  they 
perceived  the  true  inwardness  of  the  ball,  and 
vowed  to  have  their  revenge. 

Opportunity  was  not  long  wanting.  Soon 
after  this,  one  of  their  parties  encountered  a 
Hudson's  Bay  train  on  its  way  to  trade  with 
the  same  Indians  of  whom  they  were  in  search. 
They  exchanged  compliments  with  each  other, 
and,  as  the  day  was  very  cold,  proposed  light- 
ing a  fire,  and  having  something  to  drink  to- 
gether. A  huge  fire  was  soon  roaring  in  their 
midst,  the  canteens  were  produced,  and  they 
each  tried  who  could  tell  the  biggest  yarns, 
while  good  liquor  mounted  to  their  brains. 
The  Nor'-Westers,  after  r«  little  time,  spilled 
their  grog  on  the  snow,  unperceived  by  the 
others ;  so  that  they  kept  fairly  sober,  although 
their  rivals  were  becoming  very  much  elevated. 
At  last  they  began  boasting  of  their  superior 
prowess  in  drinking,  and  in  proof  thereof  each 
of  them  swallowed  a  big  bumper.  The  Hud- 
son Bays,  not  to  be  outdone,  followed  their 
example,  and  almost  instantly  fell  over  upon 
the  snow  helplessly  drunk.  In  ten  minutes 
more  they  were  tied  firmly  upon  their  sledges, 


HUDSON'S   IlAV   T  HA  DING   COMPANY.      121 


and  tho  dogs  being  turned  homewards,  away 
they  went  straight  for  tlie  Hudson's  Bay  fort, 
where  in  due  time  they  safely  arrived  witli 
the  men  still  sound  asleep;  while  the  Nor'- 
Westers  made  haste  for  the  Indian  camp,  and 
this  time  had  the  furs  all  to  themselves. 

But  such  convivial  and  friendly  devices  to 
outwit  each  other  soon  gave  way  to  more  rep- 
rehensible proceedings.  As  the  competition 
grew  keener,  the  temper  of  the  rivals  waxed 
hotter ;  and,  ere  long,  forts  were  attacked,  taken, 
and  burnt,  the  officials  and  their  adherents  im- 
prisoned and  harshly  treated,  the  furs  on  their 
way  to  the  rendezvous  intercepted  and  appro- 
priated by  main  strength,  if  necessary,  and 
the  whole  trade  turned  into  a  furious  conflict. 
The  governor-general  of  Canada  sent  out  war- 
rants and  proclamations  in  vain.  These  were 
alike  treated  with  sovereign  contempt  in  that 
distant  land,  where  "the  king's  writ  runneth 
not ;  "  for  both  sides  well  knew  that  he  had 
no  means  of  putting  his  high-sounding  words 
into  action. 

So  matters  went  from  bad  to  worse,  until, 
in  the  year  1816,  they  reached  a  climax  in  a 
battle  royal,  which  took  place  before  the  gates 


I 


10O 


THE  liOMAXCK  OF  COMMERCE. 


of  Fort  Garry,  llio  Hudson  I^ays'  principal 
post  in  tlio  Kod  River  roa^ion,  and  in  which 
hiniontahlc  affair  seventeen  men  and  three  of- 
ficers of  tlie  company,  including  Governor 
Semple,  fell,  pierced  with  hullets. 

Yet  even  this  dreadful  occurrence  did  not 
at  once  ahato  the  contlict.  All  parley  was  now 
at  an  end,  and  the  password  was  "  war  to  the 
knife."  Olhcers  and  men  were  engaged  hy 
the  companies,  principally  with  a  view  to  their 
fighting  qualities ;  and  more  interest  was  taken 
in  a  successful  encounter  than  in  a  proiitahle 
barter.  Such  a  state  of  afl'airs  could  not  long 
continue.  The  whole  trade  was  being  ruined  ; 
the  Indians  were  becoming  demoralized  with 
iire-water ;  the  prices  paid  for  the  peltries  were 
out  of  all  proportion  to  the  value.  The  cooler 
heads  of  the  concern  then  saw  their  oppor- 
tunity ;  and  negotiations  were  entered  into, 
which,  in  1821,  resulted  in  their  giving  up 
conflict  for  coalition,  and  being  united  with 
the  approval  of  Parliament,  under  the  name 
of  the  older  company,  some  additional  privi- 
lesres  beincf  Cfranted  at  the  same  time.  Soon 
after  the  coalition,  a  shrewd  young  Scotchman, 
who  had  been  sent  out  from  London  to  exam- 


HUDSON'S  BAY  TRADING   COMPANY.     123 


ine  tlio  condition  of  things,  sliowed  Huch  apti- 
tude for  business,  and  suuli  fertility  of  resource, 
tliat  he  was  put  at  the  liead  of  affairs  in  North 
America,  with  the  title  of  (iovernor-in-chief  of 
liupert's  Land.  '"It  was  a  great  responsibil- 
ity," writes  Professor  Bryce,  "  for  young  and 
inexperienced  George  Simpson  to  undertake  the 
management  of  so  great  a  concern,  to  reconcile 
men  who  liad  been  in  arms  against  each  other, 
and  to  bring  their  trade  from  the  brink  of 
ruin  vo  a  successful  issue.  Yet  for  forty  years 
lie  remained  at  the  helm,  and  with  such  marked 
success  as  to  have  the  lionor  of  knighthood 
conferred  upon  him  in  token  of  his  services. 
He  was  the  virtual  ruler  of  about  half  of  North 
America,  and,  though  an  autocrat,  lield  the 
reins  of  power  to  the  last  with  unslackening 
grasp.  Small  in  stature,  he  was  of  indomi- 
table perseverance,  albeit  somewhat  impatient 
in  temper.  It  is  told  of  him  —  and  one  may 
say  of  the  story,  "  si  non  e  vero  ; "  it  is  at  least 
^'•hen  trovato^'' — that  on  one  occasion,  while 
passing  through  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  and 
urging  his  crew  overmuch,  a  powerful  French 
Yoyageur,  his  right-hand  man,  became  so  in- 
censed  at   his   unreasoninir    demands    that    he 


121 


TlIK  nOMANCK  OF  COMMKliCE. 


I 


?  * 


seized  him  by  the  iieek,  lifted  luin  over  i\w 
guinvaU ,  plunged  him  into  the  water,  mid 
then  drew  him,  drii)[)iMg,  in  again,  to  be,  for 
tlie  remainder  of  that  voyage,  a  more  con- 
si(U*rate  master. 

Under  Sir  (le'^''ge  Simi)son's  sway,  tlic  story 
of  the  eom[)any  was  one  of  peace,  prosperity,  and 
progress.  The  infusion  of  Noith-west  bh)od 
and  ea})ital  gave  it  more  vigorous  life  ;  and 
each  year  witnessed  extending  operations,  un- 
til, in  180)0,  its  ledger  show(>d  one  hundred  and 
lifty-live  establishments,  in  charge  of  twenty- 
five  chief  factors,  twenty-eight  chief  traders,  one 
hundred  and  lifty-two  clerks,  and  one  thousand 
two  hundred  other  servants,  besides  a  legion  of 
subject  natives.  The  trading  districts  were  di- 
vided into  four  departments,  covering  the  coun- 
try from  ocean  to  ocean,  —  from  Ungava  on 
the  bleak  Labrador  coast,  to  Fort  Victoria  on 
the  liord-picrced  shores  of  British  Columbia, — 
an  empire  hardly  smaller  than  tiie  whole  of 
Europe,  though  but  thinly  populated  by  some 
one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  Indians,  half- 
breeds,  and  Esquimaux. 

Hardly  was  the  Dominion  of  Canada  well 
born,  than  its   statesmen  began   to  look  with 


/ ' 


i 


//  unsoN '  .s  /;  A  r  rn  a  din  a  com  pa  n  y.    1 25 


longing  oy(\s  upon  tlio  l)()un(ll(;sM  [)r.'iiii(!H  of  tlio 
nort]i-\v(;.st,  and  to  (UMii.md  in  no  uniuM-lain 
languago  from  Uio  imoUk!!*  country  tlio  abroga- 
tion of  till)  (sliartcr  giving  tlio  Hudson's  '»ay 
(/oni[)aTiy  a  niono[)oly  of  tliat  promised  land. 
But,  of  course;,  tlio  company  could  hardly  l)o 
expcotod  to  yield  up  so  splcndi<l  a  property 
without  Jidccpiate  com[)onsation.  Negotiations 
wore  accordingly  entered  into,  which,  in  tho 
year  18()0,  resulted  in  a  ])argain  iHsing  effected. 
Tho  company  surriiiidered  its  prr)[)rietary  riglits, 
and  in  return  therefor  received  the  tidy  sum  of 
three  hundred  thousand  pounds  st(;rling,  and 
one-twentieth  of  the  land  within  tho  fertile  belt, 
as  well  as  fifty  thousand  acres  in  immediato 
proximity  to  its  posts. 

As  a  monopoly,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
then  ceased  to  exist.  As  a  commercial  corpora- 
tion, trading  upon  just  tho  same  basis  as  other 
cori»orations,  and  still  practically  free  from 
troublesome  competition  in  the  more  northern 
territories,  holding  vase  landed  estates,  ever  in- 
creasing in  value  as  the  country  opens  up,  and 
able  to  pay  a  decent  dividend  on  capital  now 
swollen  to  two  millions  of  pounds,  the  "  Honor- 
able Company  of  Merchant  Adventurers  Trad- 


'   « 


126 


THE  liOMANCE  OF  VOMMKUCE, 


ing  into  Hudson's  Bay  "  lias  still,  no  doubt,  in 
store  for  it  a  prolonged  if  uneventful  future. 

The  headquarters  of  the  company  continue  to 
be  in  Fenchurch  Street,  London ;  but  the  recent 
election  to  the  chief  governorship  of  Sir  Donald 
Smith  of  Montreal,  whose  life  for  the  past  half- 
century  has  been  part  of  the  company's  history, 
has  brought  the  control  of  affairs  into  closer 
touch  with  the  country,  and  made  it  seem  more 
than  ever  in  the  past  a  national  enterprise. 

I  have  thus  sketched  in  scanty  outline  the 
romantic  history  of  the  great  corporation ;  and  it 
now  remains  for  me  to  give  some  picture  of  its 
internal  workings,  of  its  method  of  dealing  with 
the  Indians,  and  of  life  at  the  hundred  or  more 
forts  scattered  throughout  so  many  thousand 
miles  of  varied  territory. 

Regarded  strictly  as  a  fur-trading  enterprise, 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  reached  its  zenith 
about  the  year  1868,  just  before  the  surrender 
of  its  proprietary  privileges  to  the  Dominion  of 
Canada ;  and  as  the  methods  and  manners  in 
vogue  then  remain  practically  unchanged  to-day 
at  the  more  distant  forts,  whither  settlement 
and  civilization  liave  not  yet  made  their  way, 
I  will  ask  my  readers  to  imagine  themselves 


\ 


ay, 
ves 


HUDSON'S  liAV   TRADING   COMPANY.      127 

transported  to  a  typical  post  of  tliat  period,  and 
interested  spectators  of  its  picturesque,  uncon- 
ventional life. 

If,  on  approaching  a  Hudson's  Bay  post  for 
the  first  time,  you  had  the  higli-sounding  word 
"  fort "  suggestive  of  rampart,  bastion,  embra- 
sure, and  battlement,  much  upon  your  mind, 
and  were  accordingly  full  of  appropriate  ex- 
[)ectation,  you  would  be  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment. Excepting  Fort  Garry,  which,  before 
the  city  of  Winnipeg  swallowed  it  up,  was 
really  a  fortress  with  substantial  stone  walls 
and  towers,  the  forts  are  quite  unimposing  af- 
fairs. Fancy  a  parallelogram  of  greater  or  less 
extent  according  to  the  importance  of  the  post, 
inclosed  by  a  picket  twenty-four  feet  in  height, 
composed  of  upright  trunks,  and  fastened  along 
the  top  by  a  strong  rail.  At  each  corner  stands 
a  stout  bastion  built  of  squared  logs,  and 
peirced  for  guns  commanding  both  sides  of  the 
angle.  Inside  the  picket  is  a  gallery  running 
riglit  around  the  inclosure,  just  high  enough 
for  a  man's  head  to  be  level  with  the  top  of  the 
fence.  At  intervals  along  the  side  of  the  picket 
are  loopholes  for  rifles,  and  over  the  gateway 
frowns   another   bastion,    from  which   anybody 


128 


TUE  nOMAXCE  OF  COMMEUCE. 


attempting  to  storm  tljc  g:ito  may  be  warmly 
peppered.  In  the  centre  of  tlie  space  inclosed 
are  tlie  houses  of  tlie  factor,  or  trader  in  cliarge, 
and  liis  cliief  snbordinates,  while  ranged  around 
the  sides  close  to  the  stockade  are  the  trading- 
store,  the  fur-room,  the  wareliouses,  servants' 
quartere,  etc.  Beside  the  factor's  residence 
rises  a  lofty  flagstaff  from  which  floats  the  flag 
of  the  company,  bearing  its  motto :  "  Pro  Pelle 
Cutem,"  and  near  by  stands  a  bell-tower  which 
sounds  out  the  important  houi*s  of  the  day. 

In  the  earlier  days  one  of  tlie  garrison  would, 
watch  by  watch,  pace  round  the  gallery,  crying 
out  at  intervals  the  houi-s  and  the  state  of  the 
weather;  partly  as  a  precaution  against  Indian 
invasion,  and  partly  as  a  fire  patrol.  But  the 
establishment  of  the  Mounted  Police  by  the 
Dominion  Government  has  rendered  the  for- 
mer duty  unnecessary,  and  the  practice  is  now 
almost  obsolete. 

The  advent  of  a  band  of  Indians,  burdened 
with  the  result  of  a  season's  hunting,  arouses 
the  fort  from  its  humdrum  routine ;  and  it  be- 
comes a  scene  of  picturesque  animation  and 
bustle.  If  the  band  be  an  important  one,  its 
coming  has   been   announced   by   a  couple   of 


miDso.ws  liAv  rii.iDixa  comiwxv.    1-Ji) 

braves  sent  on  alicad  as  advance  agents,  and 
everytliiiig  is  in  readiness.  This  means  not 
only  that  the  company's  goods  are  ready  for 
the  barter,  but  that  every  precaution  lias  been 
taken  to  guard  against  a  sudden  reconnaissance 
in  force  on  the  part  of  the  red  men,  whose  feel- 
ings are  apt  to  be  powerfully  operated  upon 
by  the  knowledge  that  what  seems  to  them 
illimitable  wealth  is  kept  out  of  their  grasp  by 
only  some  rough  wooden  walls,  and  a  handful 
of  white  men.  The  manner  in  which  the  busi- 
ness of  barterini,  goods  for  peltries  is  then  con- 
ducted has  been  graphically  described  for  us  by 
a  writer  familiar  with  the  proceedings.  The 
Indian  with  his  bundle  of  furs  proceeds  in  the 
first  instance  to  the  trading-room,  where  the 
trader  separates  the  furs  into  lots,  puts  a  val- 
uation upon  tliem  according  to  their  kind  and 
quality,  and  after  adding  up  the  amount,  re- 
turns to  the  Indian  a  number  of  little  pieces 
of  wood  indicating  the  number  of  "  made-beav- 
ers "  to  which  his  '*  hunt "  amounts.  Bearing 
his  bundle  of  sticks,  the  happy  hunter  then 
proceeds  to  the  store-room,  where  he  finds 
himself  surrounded  by  bales  of  blankets,  slop- 
coats,  guns,  scalping-knives,  tomahawks,  pow- 


I 


It 


•  I 


f     ■: 


|1 


l:;o 


77//';    liOMAM'N   OF  i'OMMKlU'K. 


(lor-lionis,  5i\(\'<,  <Mo.,  ;iii(l  is  Mu'rciby  niiulo  to 
f(H'l  wry  iniu'li  like  a  l)unu^ry  hoy  \vX  loose  in 
a  pastry-cook's,  and  wonld  withont  donbt  be- 
havo  in  a  nuicli  similar  fashion  if  lie  dared. 
I'ai'h  article  has  a  recognized  value  in  "made- 
heaver.''  A  slop-coat,  for  example,  may  ho 
Avorth  iive  'Mnade-lu'avers,"  and  the  aborigine 
l);iys  for  his  civili/Anl  fniery  with  twelve  of  liis 
sticks  ;  for  a  gini  he  gives  twenty  ;  for  a  knife, 
two ;  and  so  on  nntil  his  stock  of  wori  ^en 
*Mcoal  tender"  is  cxlKUuted,  when,  with  pro- 
fonnd  regret  and  longing  eyes,  he  retires  to 
make  room  for  the  next  comer,  aiid  prondly  to 
exhibit  his  purchases  to  his  friends  and  family. 
At  every  j)(xst,  or  at  least  in  every  district, 
there  V:,  a  tarilY  established  wliich  varies  little 
from  year  to  year.  The  mind  of  the  Indian, 
\.ntutored  to  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  markets, 
and  knowinjx  nothino-  of  what  it  means  for  furs 
to  be  "firm  "  or  "  unsteady,"  is  not  tolerant  of 
varying  prices  ;  and,  accordingly,  to  faoihtate 
mattei*s  (he  comjKiny  takes  the  risk  of  changes, 
and,  unless  the  fall  in  price  is  of  long  continu- 
ance, gives  the  same  price  for  fur  as  formerly 
when  it  was  high,  or  vice  versa;  thus  on  some 
peltries   the  company  loses,   but    compensates 


s/f 


HUDSON'S   It  AY    TUADlsa   COMPANY.     WA 


ils(^lf  by  inakiiii^  a  Ijir^c;  profit  upcni  oUior.s. 
'J'liis  systtiin  lias  ono  advantago.  'J'ho  Indian 
novur  alUiinpls  to  raiso  tlio  prico  of  fiirH,  or  boat 
down  th(5  prico  of  tlio  nuivcliandiso.  Tbo  tariff 
is  un(',bang(;abh!.  If  }io  is  not  |)b!as(!d  witii  it, 
lio  is  at  porfoc-t  libci'ty  to  go  to  tho  ni;xt  h1io[>  ; 
and  tbis,  combined  vvilb  tbu  fact  tbat  tlio  com- 
pany sells  notbing  wlncjb  is  not  of  tbc  best 
(piality  of  its  kind,  lias  given  it  advantage  over 
all  competitois  tbat  it  will  bo  long  in  losing. 
Before  tbe  establisbment  of  the  monnted  polici;, 
the  posts  in  tbe  plain  country,  at  wbicb  tbe 
wily,  iinscrupidoiis  lUackfeet  and  Crees  were 
tbe  princijjal  customers,  bad  to  take  mii,ny  pie- 
cautions  wben  a  large  band  of  Kedskins  came  to 
trade.  (Juns  were  loaded,  and  placed  iu  tbe 
loopboles  commanding  tbe  Indian  and  trade- 
rooms,  and  tbe  gates  of  tbe  stockade  securely 
fastened.  All  conununication  between  tbo  In- 
dians and  trader  was  cut  off;  and  tbere  re- 
mained for  tbe  customers  only  tbe  narrcw 
passage  leading  from  tbe  outer  gate  of  tbe 
stockade  to  tbe  Indian-room,  tbe  Indian-room 
itself,  and  tbe  narrow  ball  way  Ixjtween  it  and 
tbe  trade-room.  Tbis  latter  was  furnisbed  with 
two  beavy  doors,  witb  a  space  between  tbem 


i;vj 


77/ f;  li()^fA^('K  or  commkhck. 


t\  ^ 


\\\\'w\\  would  lioM  from  two  to  four  TudiaiKS. 
Only  Uvo  Indiana  were  admit tml  at  a  timo  into 
the  tiado-rov):ii,  'IMiis  was  divided  by  a  stout 
partition  roaoliinii^  from  lloor  to  ceiling,  in  tlio 
centre  of  whieli  an  aperture  about  a  yard  scpiare 
was  cut,  and  divided,  by  a  grat-'ig,  into  siiuare.s 
sulVieiently  largo  to  admit  of  the  easy  passage 
of  gmxls,  but  not  of  tbe  red  man  in  person. 
As  a  still  further  preeiiulion,  th<3  passage  lead- 
ing to  the  window  was  in  some  instances  made 
crooked,  for  the  very  good  reason  that  experi- 
ence had  tauirht  the  tradtn*  that  the  Indian  was 
apt  to  bring  heated  bargaining  to  a  dramatic 
climax  by  shooting  him  from  behind. 

There  lias  been  a  wonderiid  change  in  values 
since  the  gootl  old  days  in  the  early  part  of  this 
century.  When  Fort  Dunvegan  was  estab- 
lished on  the  Peace  River,  near  the  Rockies, 
the  regidar  price  of  a  trade  musket  was  Rocky 
^lountain  sables  piled  up  on  each  side  until 
thev  were  level  with  its  muzzle  when  held 
upright.  Xow  these  sables  were  worth  in  Eng- 
land about  three  pounds  apiece,  while  the  cost 
of  the  nuisket  did  not  exceed  one  pound.  The 
price  of  a  six-shilling  blaidcet  was,  in  like  man- 
ner, thirteen  beavers  of  the  best  quality,  beaver 


IHrDSON'S    liAV   rilAhlNQ   dOMPANV.      l'^3 


tlit'ii  boin^  worlli  tliiity-iwo  sliilliiijjfH  a  jtouiid, 
jind  a  good  .skin  wdigliing  a  ])ound  or  inoro. 

But  ill  ilio  courst}  of  tiiiio  ilio  IndiaiiH  hogau 
to  know  lK!tt(n'  tlu5  rrlativo  value  of  tlio  nnis- 
kots  and  tlicir  furs,  and  to  objcKit  most  deci- 
dedly to  tlio  one  hoing  piled  along  tlio  barrel 
of  tho  other  (vvliieh  report  sayetli  was  lengtli- 
ened  year  by  year  until  it  attained  colossal 
<liniensions),  so  that  the  trade  gradually  beeamo 
to  be  less  jug-handled. 

The  company  lias  shown  no  less  far-siglited- 
ness  than  humanity  in  its  dealings  with  tho 
ignorant  Indians,  to  so  largo  an  extent  in  its 
power.  Its  laudable  jmsition  with  regaixl  to 
the  use  of  spirits  in  trade  lias  luicn  already 
mentioned ;  and  although  during  the  disastrous 
rivalry  with  the  Nor'-Westers,  the  Hudson 
Bays  did  for  a  time  fall  away  from  grace,  and 
fight  fire-watcr  with  fire-water,  so  soon  as  the 
struggle  ended  in  coalition,  prohibition  once 
more  prevailed.  Then,  every  care  has  been 
taken  to  prevent  the  extermination  of  the  fur- 
bearing  animals ;  and  whole  districts  have  been 
"  laid  over  "  from  hunting  for  years  at  a  time. 
Another  sagacious  principle  was  to  pay  a  pro- 
portionately higher  price  for  inferior  furs,  such 


l:U 


/  ///.'    iiOM  \  \i   r   «»/.'  row  W/'/iT/.' 


:    \ 


i«M    t\ni  .Kr:)l'4.    livil    (lio     lixliiiMM    nlioiilil    ntnlliio 

riii^l  !»  Novl  «>!'  pMloinul  r;no  n\or  (lip  |mm>|»Io 
ul\.>  nnrjd.  in  Nomo  fi»Mi,;t\  Ix*  it>j»;imltMl  mm  jIm 
Winds.  I,\1>(Mm1  MtlvMiUMv*  II I  o  novor  ipIumimI  (o 
t\\ls(y  («;»pp«M,'4  ill  «'aso  nl'  !h>(mI  ;  inwi  In  llin 
»M'0»l\t  o(  tho  ro«l  luou  l»o  i(  iimmjuNmI  (liid.  iiinOv 
;no    th<^so    oMioMliouM    o\H(1»mI,    i\\o    rnmniuiv'M 

sKit\  i';\n  sot  uu  o\:»n»plo  \>olI  >voi(liv  <>i  inii- 
l^uiou  l>\  l\is  pi\lo  fiiooj  l)r*>(l\«M'.  An<l.  liiiullv, 
\n1\(M\  {\\o  \\u\\a]\  y;vo\\H  («>o  oltl  lo  irnp  niiil 
]\un(  iis  o(  vor(\  \\o  is  m11«>\v«mI  to  luMMtnio  ii. 
^(MisivMUM*  npon  tho  oiMijpunv'M  Itoimly,  n\u\ 
thiMV  is  h;\r»lly  a  tort  thiit  I^mm  n«>t  ji  miumImm* 
ot'    s\u'l\    l\;\nv;oiN-on.      Tlu*    host    possiMo    roply 


tluU 


i';\n   bo  oiv(M\ 


to  tl 


\oso   \v 


ho    I 


v.wo  uuu 


\o  it 


thoir  Inisiui^ss  tv»  jihusi^  tho  oonipnny  for  ji1Ioi;;(mI 
ill-tn\\lnuM\t  ot'  tho  liuliiins  is  to  bo  found  in 
{\\o  i,\c{  that  to  this  th»y  {\\o  o«>n»pMny  is  hmUod 
\ipon  with  thv^  \itn\v>st  nlTiU'tion  i\\u\  vcMioni- 
tion  hy  thoni.  Tlio  writtM*  jiltt'Mtly  (piotoil  ri»- 
huos  th;\t  odcw  wlion  lio  oon»phiint>d  Ihiil  tho 
Indians  o]i;ui;vd  him  l\n'  any  sorviooa  ivudortnl 


/n//>.M(>A''N    It.n      lUMUNH    <'r>/V/M/V»'.       \Mt 


iiHirli  Mioto  iJiiiii  iJioy  woiild  liti,VH  cliiirjriwl 
llii^  (Miiii|>iMi y,  lio  wiiM  tiinl.  vvil.li  IImi  ronrliifti vm 
iiliMWfM':  '*  V«"i,  I  huovv  vvn  <!(»  ;  hill,  if  you  I,m»»|< 
niio  of  iiM  ill  Mill  mIiI  ii;(o,  iukI  linUid  im  \m 
wt'll  tin  lliny  lii'vo  li(Mi,|,M(|  iif!,  I  lull  vvn  woiihl 
(In    lliiM    Inf    ynii    iii    llin   niMiin    |iii('n." 

liiiMllniiiitit  ( iniilnii,  who  wiut  Ml  c.mmimismmI  tt\ 
llio  lliior  («x  |M<<iil.i()iiM  (|<<f«|iii,l.c,liM(|  l»y  IIm';  Msii  imo 
I  )p|)ii.t  I  iiiiMil,  III'  ( 'iiiiiidii,  iiiln  1 1  imI.'uiii'h  l>)i.y  for 
llio  |Mir|)OMo  (if  (Inlri  iiiiiiiii;/  t.iio  pOMMilHlil.in't  of 
(Jiiii.  iiiliiiid  McriMi  n,M  II,  lii^r|iw;i,y  of  coMinicjcn, 
WMM  iiiiicli  MJiiich  Ity  I, lid  I'lM-.l,  |,il)|,t>  I.IlM  offiriiilH 
ill  11.11    llir    JMImIm    lin   vi.'Ul.nil,   witJl  MJlllMlhlJ-    IHKUlilll- 

ily  lold  llinMiMiin  iilory;  vi/.,  iJifil,  IJmmm  wa-i  no 
pr(»iil.  IxMii^f  iniuln  npoii  l,li(?ir  t.tfUiMiu'.rioiiM^  liiit 
IIimI.  (Iii^  |iomIm  wcrn  iiiii,iiil,;uii(i(|  ni triply  for  l.lir) 
Ixuiolil  of  iJio  liidiiMiK  iuid  lvu|tiiMi;Mix.  TIim 
Hlinuvd  Hiiilor  did  iiol,  \v.{'.\  lioiind  l,o  Mccnpl, 
Mh)  Hlulntiiniil,  itiirnM(M'V(M||y,  Imt,  no  doiilft,  it, 
liiid  (^iioiijdi  Irtilii  l,o  l»iiJI;i,Ht.  it.;  lor  tJic  piolit.H 
of  fur  ti;i.di!ij(  liii-vii  wofiilly  riiJInn  «)(!  witliin 
llio  piiHl,  (|U!ut<M-  of  .'I  <M;iil,ury,  and  tJicrc;  in 
lillli^  lioiMi  of  tlidir  <5Vor  rci^aiiiirii'  tlioir  fonrjor 
li;^nl^(^^. 

Uu(,  HO  fur  I  liavo  naid  lil,lJo  or  nol.liin^  al)Oiit 
tlio  unicialM,  and   llK^y  ccjilainly  d(;S(;rvo  a  good 


136 


THE  liOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


part  of  an  article  to  themselves.  As  already 
indicated,  the  majority  of  those  at  the  posts 
have  from  the  first  been  Scotchmen,  although  of 
recent  years  many  fiom  England  and  Canada 
have  entered  into  the  service  of  the  company. 

The  grades  of  rank  are  very  distinctly  marked ; 
and  an  effective,  if  not  martial,  discipline  is  still 
maintained.  The  various  officials  of  the  com- 
pany are  classed  as  follows,  beginning  at  the 
top  and  working  downward:  Highest  of  all 
are  the  governor,  deputy-governor,  and  board  of 
directors,  who  reside  in  London,  aiid  form  the 
court  of  last  resort  as  regards  the  direction  of 
their  affairs.  As  mentioned  in  the  fii*st  part 
of  this  article,  the  governor  is,  for  the  first  time 
in  the  history  of  the  company,  a  Canadian,  Sir 
Donald  Smith  of  IVIontreal  now  filling  that 
honorable  office. 

The  staff  of  officials  in  Canada  is  made  up 
as  follows :  There  are  two  commissioners,  one 
in  charge  of  the  land  sales  and  one  of  the  fur 
trade,  and  known  as  the  land  and  trade  com- 
missioners respectively.  Then  come  the  in- 
specting chief  factor,  having  three  shares  in 
the  stock  of  the  company  to  his  credit,  as  a 
reward  for  long  and  faithful  service ;  then  the 


HUDSON'S  BAY  TRADING   COMPANY.      137 


up 
one 

fur 
;om- 

in- 
Is  in 
las  a 

the 


chief  traders,  ruling  over  districts  or  depart- 
ments, and  holding  two  and  a  half  shares  ;  next 
the  factors,  Vy'Iio  are  in  charge  of  important 
posts,  and  have  two  shares ;  below  them  the 
chief  traders,  with  one  and  a  half  shares ;  and 
below  them  again  the  junior  chief  traders,  who, 
haying  put  in  at  least  fourteen  years  of  satis- 
factory service,  are  promoted  from  the  rank  of 
clerks,  and  given  an  interest  in  the  company 
to  tlie  extent  of  a  single  thare.  The  appren- 
ticed clerks,  the  largest  body  of  all,  bring  up 
the  rear.  They  are  sturdy  young  men,  ranging 
ill  age  from  fifteen  to  thirty ;  and  upon  them 
falls  the  hardest  and  most  important  work. 

Next  below  the  apprenticed  clerks  comes  the 
postmaster,  usually  a  promoted  laborer,  who 
for  good  behavior  or  valuable  service  has  been 
put  on  a  footing  with  the  gentlemen  of  the  ser- 
vice, in  the  same  manner  that  a  private  soldier 
in  the  army  is  sometimes  raised  to  the  rank  of 
commissioned  officer.  Still  lower  are  the  inter- 
preters, who  for  the  most  part  are  intelligent 
laborers  of  long  standing,  that  have  taken  the 
trouble  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  vari- 
ous Indian  dialects,  and  thereby  become  indis- 
pensable in  conducting  negotiations  with  the 


ii 


*    •; 


pi  P  ■   ;| 


138 


THE  liOMAyCI'J  OF  COMJu'EIiCE. 


natives.  Filially,  at  tlio  bottom  of  all,  are  the 
voyageiirs,  liuntcrs,  and  laborers,  whose  duties 
are  as  multifarious  as  they  are  laborious,  cut- 
tiiif^  firewood  and  shovelling  snow  in  winter, 
rowing,  paddling,  and  portaging  boats  and 
canoes  with  their  heavy  cargoes  in  summer, 
and  otherwise  makii^g  themselves  generally 
useful. 

Life  at  a  Hudson's  l^ay  post  nowadays  is  at 
best  a  ratiier  dull  and  liumdnim  affair.  The 
Indians  are  entirely  u)jder  control,  and  no  more 
a  source  of  danger  tliau  the  negroes  in  the 
South  ;  and  time  is  apt  t  hang  heavily  upon 
the  liands  of  the  garrison,  which  may  consist  of 
from  two  to  half  a  hundred  men,  according  to 
whether  the  post  is  a  central  depot  of  supplies, 
a  pGrnianent  fort,  or  merely  an  isolated  stockade 
for  the  accumulation  of  provisions  and  peltries 
for  the  use  of  larger  forts.  But  whatever  may 
be  the  character  of  the  establishment,  a  certain 
amount  of  discipline  is  carefully  maintained ; 
and  an  observer  could  ^.lardly  fail  to  be  struck 
with  the  prompt  obedience  shown  to  oome  mere 
stripling  of  a  clerk  by  the  grizzled,  weather- 
beaten  vovacfeurs  and  laborers  under  his  control. 

The  day  begins  with  breakfast,  which  is  usu- 


HUDSON \S  HAY  TRADING   COMPANY.      I'iO 


truck 
1  mei'Q 
ither- 
ht^ol. 
usu- 


ally at  six  o'clock  in  winter,  and  an  hour  ear- 
lier in  summer,  aUhou^^li  ilic  higluu"  oHieials 
may  prolong  their  morning  nap  a  little,  if  they 


feel  inclined.     'J'hero  is  an  ofliecn 


mess,  and 


•el  nicimed.  i  nero  is  an  oniecns  mess,  and 
a  servants'  mess ;  the  latter  drawing  rations  at 
regular  intervals,  and  having  them  cooked  by 
one  of  their  number  set  apart  for  tlui  purpose. 
The  officers  by  no  mefins  regard  lightly  the 
pleasures  of  the  table,  and  great  care  is  taken 
to  keep  the  larder  well  stocked.  Their  fare  is, 
of  course,  confined  hugely  to  such  wild  game 
and  fish  as  the  country  round  about  affords  ; 
but  the  supply  is  abundant,  and  the  variety  ex- 
tensive. Buffalo  hump,  now,  alas,  little  more 
than  a  tender,  juicy  memory;  moose-nuilTle, 
tremulous  and  opaque  as  a  vegetable  conserve ; 
beaver  tail,  unctuous  and  satisfying;  venison 
haunch  and  savory  ^^uck,  crimson  salmon  and 
snowy  whitefish,  —  one  does  not  soon  tire  of 
such  viands  as  these,  especially  when  they  are 
prepared  by  French  cooks.  The  hours  of  busi- 
ness at  the  forts  during  the  summer  season  are 
from  nine  to  six,  with  a  break  at  noonday  for 
dinner ;  and,  if  the  post  be  an  important  one, 
there  is  plenty  of  animation  and  bustle,  but  no 
undue  haste,  a  careful  attention  to  details  being 


140 


TUE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


In  h 


m 


never  forgotten.  The  Indians,  in  bands  upon 
liorseback,  or  single  ui)on  foot,  present  them- 
selves with  furs  to  tra.Ie.  The  voyageurs  are 
hard  at  work  loading  with  bales  of  costly  furs 
the  boats  lying  on  the  river,  or  unloading  them 
of  the  go  ds  they  have  brought.  Brigades  of 
boats  destined  for  n  ore  distant  points  pause 
for  a  few  days  or  hours  to  exchange  the  news, 
and  take  a  little  breathing-spell ;  while  now 
and  then  the  arrival  of  the  district  inspector, 
or  some  other  important  official,  with  his  train 
of  servants,  creates  a  sensation  that  only  sub- 
sides with  his  departure  for  another  station. 

All  summer  long  a  Hudson's  Bay  officer's 
lot  is  rather  a  happy  one,  which  many  a  cribbed, 
cabined,  and  confined  city -dweller  might  envy  ; 
for,  in  the  intervals  of  the  work,  there  are  hunt- 
ing, fishing,  boating,  swimming,  and  other  ath- 
letic pursuits,  to  be  enjoyed  in  the  finest  climate 
in  the  world.  It  is  when  the  long  winter  comes, 
and  the  whole  region  around  is  buried  beneath 
a  pall  of  snow  from  three  to  thirty  feet  deep, 
that  the  utmost  ingenuity  is  needed  to  drive 
dull  ennui  away.  The  cold  is  intense,  yet  not 
unbearable,  owing  to  the  dryness  of  the  atmos- 
phere.     Not  a  step  can   be   taken   except   on 


HUDSON'S  liAV  TRADING   COMPANY.     141 


snow-slioes.  A  silence  as  of  death  has  fallen 
upon  nature  ;  not  a  bird  sings  in  the  leafless 
trees,  not  a  creature  stirs  within  tlie  range  of 
vision  ;  "  the  waters  are  liid  as  with  a  stone, 
and  the  face  of  the  deep  is  frozen  ;  "  and  tlie 
warm,  cosey  niessroom  of  the  fort  possesses 
attractions  not  so  evident  in  the  glorious  days 
of  midsummer.  Then  are  the  men  thrown  upon 
their  own  resources  for  entertainment ;  and 
wliether  the  hours  pass  brightly  or  heavily  will 
depend  upon  themselves.  There  is  very  little 
work  to  be  done.  The  furs  have  to  be  sorted, 
looked  to  frequently,  and  packed  in  readiness 
for  the  coming  of  spring ;  and  visits  may  be 
exchanged  with  the  nearest  fort.  Those  who 
like  to  dabble  in  ink  have  now  a  fine  opportu- 
nity to  write  up  their  diaries  ;  and  others,  with 
a  taste  for  natural  history,  can  amuse  them- 
selves in  mounting  and  preserving  specimens ; 
while  the  studiously  inclined  can  follow  their 
favorite  lines  of  study. 

The  northern  mail  starts  out  early  in  Decem- 
ber. It  consists  of  two  or  more  toboggans 
drawn  by  dogs,  and  laden  with  strong  wooden 
boxes  in  which  is  placed  an  astonishing  amount 
of  mail-matter.     Proceeding  as  far  as   possible 


)! 


Ill 


li'j 


////;   UdMAM  H  (»r  t'i)MMh:ii('K. 


aloiiLt  (Ih»  frozen  Inisoiiis  nf  lln«  lakos  iiml  rivers, 
llu'  train  puslirs  iinrtli\var«l  al  llir  lalc  nf  forty 
miles  a  <lay,  tln»  <liiv»'i"s  nil  siin\v-sli()(\s  easily 
l^eepiiiLT  pJiee  with  tlie  ueII-l»rnl\<Mi  Joj^s,  nf 
whieh  four  aro  liariiesseil  to  i'acli  InhnK^aii, 
iiiilil  I''nrt  Carltntu  in  tlie  Saskatcliewiin  N'ailey, 
is  reacluMl.  Wvw  tlie  entire  mail  is  nveiliaiiled 
antl  rep;iel\e<l,  braneli  paekt'ts  hein^  scMit  nIT 
(Mist  ami  west,  while  I'ver  north w.'inl  nver  tlu^ 
snow-l)ill«>W(Ml  jilains,  aeross  the  (leej)Mliift(Ml  val- 
leys, throiiij^h  the  sii^hiiiix.  slia«lowy  forests,  tho 
main  paeUet  enntinues  (liiiiini>hini^  steadily  in 
hulk  as  fort  after  fort  is  visited,  until  at  last, 
redueeil  to  a  nuMe  handful  that  a  man  iiii^ht 
put  in  his  p«)eket.  it  reaches  the  end  of  its  jour- 
ney at  Fort  Yukon,  upon  tho  far  frontier  nf 
Alaska. 

When  the  younir  elerk  tirst  went  nut  to  Hu- 
pert's  Land,  a  wife,  as   a  i'omyatfuou  (/<•  roi/<t(/t\ 


w 


as  not  tn  he  ennsi«lere«l  :   and  then,  wl 


len  the 


time  eame  that  he  mii^ht  indiih^^e  in  matrimony 


ho  was  fi 
laeo,  few 


ir  a  way 


f 


roni 


til 


e   women   of  his  own 


iiidi'ed,  t)f  whom  would   he    willincf 
to   stake   their  future  upon  the  uneertaiuty  of 


tindi 


ilds 


lug  sueli  (tt^mesiio    liappiness    in    the   wi 
of  North  Amerit-a  as  would  eompensato  them  for 


m/i>s<)M's  KAY  ruAhisa  tasti'ASY.     I  lo 


tli(>  InsM  of  uil  t.li(^  (li'li^rlits  of  <'ivili/,!il  ion.  'I'lin 
iiatiii'iil  (;()n.s4M|ii(!n('()  whm,  t  liat,  Inolvin;^  hIxmiI,  liini 
for  a  c()in|i:itii(iii,  Iw;  roiiiid  liis  clioicu;  limited 
to  tlio  dusky  Ih'IIcm  of  tlio  Iiidiuris.  Soils  and 
daii;^dil(MH  wcfi'O  Ixuii,  and  \fvv.\v  up  to  win  tli(5 
love  dial  was  raicdy  IxisIowcmI  uj»om  IIkj  j>at,i(Mit, 
faitlifid  di-ii<l;^n!  of  a  inotli<!r.  Tlio  natural  uf- 
foctioii  of  tlu!  i'atlKU*  proved  slron^'er  than  tlio 
artilieial  laws  of  HO(',i«!ty,  and  tlic;  eoniKiclion 
thus  strongly  (Hjuuinliid  continued  unhroken  to 
t]i(3  (Mid.  Tlui  eoni[)any  niado  a  point  of  cn- 
couraKin«,'  tliis  mating'  of  the  Indian  laces  with 
their  olhcers  and  nu;n.  It  insured  th(5  ^ood-will 
of  tlu;  one,  and  l)ound  thcj  other  to  the  country 
hy  ti(^s  not  nsadily  broken.  So  the  eliiidreii 
came  in  (juiversful  to  the  Maes  and  JMerros; 
and  tlic  blood  of  redskin  warriors,  inin^linrj  witli 
that  of  "  Ilieland  lairds  "  and  French  ])our- 
geois,  wont  flowing  forth  in  a  steady  stroani  all 
through  tlie  miglity  possessions  of  tlie  company. 
It  seems  as  thougli  I  had  but  scratolied  the 
surface  of  the  story  of  this  gnjat  corporation, 
which  for  more  than  two  centui'ies  lias  wielded 
so  profound  an  influence  throughout  the  north- 
ern half  of  this  continent.  It  may  endure  for 
many  decades,  or  even  for  centuries  yet ;   but 


144 


TUE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


its  career  must  be  less  romantic  than  that  of 
the  Canadian  Pacific  Ilailroad.  The  returns 
from  sales  of  land  already  far  overshadow  the 
profits  from  the  fur  trade,  and  the  latter  must 
inevitably  in  time  shrink  into  insignificance. 
However  that  may  be,  the  "  Ilonoiablc  Com- 
pany of  Merchant  Adventurers  of  England 
trading  into  Hudson's  Bay,"  looking  back  u^ion 
its  records,  may,  with  substantial  reason,  con- 
gratulate itself  upon  having  contributed  one  of 
the  most  interesting  chapters  to  the  romance 
of  commerce. 


:a 


ft 


n 


;  I 


at  of 
turns 
V  the 
must 
aijce. 
Coni- 
^laiul 
upon 
con- 
Hie  of 
nance 


LU 


1/) 

q:" 
o 


O 


UJ 

DC 


o 


CJ 


c» 


f 


IP 


fi 


i'i 


THE  CANADIAN  PACIFIC  HAIL ]r AY.      145 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  CANADIAN  PACIFIC   RAILWAY. 

There  is  only  one  railway  in  the  world 
which,  running  clear  across  a  continent,  is  from 
ocean  to  ocean  owned  and  operated  by  a  single 
company;  and  that  is  the  Canadian  Paciiic, 
whose  tide-water  terminals,  Halifax  in  the  east 
and  Vancouver  in  the  west,  are  joined  by  a 
twin  band  of  shining  steel  three  thousand  six 
hundred  and  sixty  miles  in  length. 

Somebody  has  very  well  said  that  this  rail- 
way WAS  a  national  enterprise,  is  a  national 
highway,  and  will  be  a  national  heirloom  ;  and 
yet  there  were  many  times  during  the  various 
stages  of  its  promotion  and  prosecution,  when, 
judged  by  all  ordinary  human  standards,  the 
chances  seemed  about  ten  to  one  that  the  vast 
undertaking  would  work  as  much  injury  to  the 
young  Dominion  of  Canada  as  the  Mississippi 
Bubble  did  to  France,  or  the  Tulip  Mania  to 
Holland. 

It  certainly  seemed  a  very  daring,  if  not  un- 


146 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


duly  rash  enterprise,  for  a  British  colony,  by  no 
means  abounding  in  cash,  and  having  less  than 
six  millions  of  people,  to  commit  itself  to  the 
construction  of  a  line  of  railway  whose  total 
cost  would  exceed  a  levy  of  twenty  dollars  a 
head  upon  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the 
country. 

Yet  that  was  what  Canada  did  in  1871,  in 
order  to  bring  British  Columbia  into  the  Con- 
federation of  Provinces ;  and  in  spite  of  the  rise 
and  fall  of  governments,  and  the  occurrence  of 
political  crises,  into  the  details  of  which  it 
would  be  tiresome  to  enter,  she  honorably  ful- 
filled her  contract  by  June,  1886,  when  the  first 
through  train  left  Montreal  for  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  safely  accomplished  one  of  the  most  mem- 
orable and  momentous  "runs"  in  the  history 
of  railroading. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  whole  of  the 
fifteen  years  referred  to  above  were  occupied  in 
the  building  of  the  road,  although  so  gigantic 
an  undertaking  might  well  have  required  that 
space  of  time.  Between  1871  and  1881  only 
some  widely  separated  sections,  one  in  Ontario, 
another  in  Manitoba,  and  a  third  in  British 
Columbia,  were  constructed  by   the   Canadian 


a 

m 


THE  CANADIAN  PACIFIC  RAILWAY.     147 


Government ;  and  when  in  the  latter  year  the 
task  was  gladly  handed  over  to  the  powerful 
combination  of  capitalists  who  had  agreed  to 
assume  it  on  certain  conditions,  there  still  re- 
mained nearly  two  thousand  miles  of  the  main 
line  to  build. 

By  the  terms  of  their  contract  with  the 
Government,  the  Syndirjate,  as  this  combination 
was  popularly  called,  had  ten  years  in  which 
to  complete  their  work,  and  earn  their  subsidy 
of  $25,000,000  and  the  same  number  of  acres 
of  land ;  but  with  such  extraordinary  and  unex- 
ampled energy  did  they  press  forward  the  con- 
struction, that  in  less  than  five  years  the  road 
was  open  for  traffic  from  end  to  end. 

A  big  book  of  intense  interest  might  be 
written  describing  the  difficulties  encountered, 
and  the  splendid  skill  and  courage  with  which 
they  were  overcome. 

It  was  tremendous  work ;  for  instance,  in  get- 
ting around  the  north  shore  of  the  Georgian  Bay 
and  Lake  Superior,  through  a  dreary  wilderness 
traversed  only  by  the  Indian  fur-hunter,  the 
adventurous  lumberman,  or  the  hardy  miner,  a 
way  for  the  steel  rails  had  to  be  blasted  through 
rock  of  the  hardest  description  known  to  en- 


r 

III : 

r 

ill ' 

1:1  f 

1 

II  i 

'  ;   '1 

II 

II' 

i::| 

118 


riir:  homamI':  or  com m rue r. 


ginciM's,  .'111(1  ilio  oldest,  known  to  ^(M)lo^ists; 
imniL'ly,  syiMiito  siiid  tnij).  IMori^  tli.in  two  suul 
a  liidf  million  Ions  of  this  stubborn  stnfT  liiul 
to  bo  (lispbii'iMl,  besides  liirufij  (inantities  of  looso 
ro(dv  and  ]iardi)an.  Wliat  (U)stly  Avork  tliis  was 
may  be  jndi:e<l  by  tbe  fact  that  for  fifteen 
montbs  one  linndred  tons  a  montb  of  dynaniito 
were  used;  tliis  danq-erous  material,  tlie  ex[)lo- 
sivo  power  of  wliieli  is  twelve  times  tliat  of 
ordinary  jj^nn[)owder,  being-  niiinnfaetured  on 
tbc  spot  as  lecpiired.  Tlio  total  cost  of  dyna- 
mite alone  execcded  one  and  a  lialf  millions  of 
pounds  sterling. 

Yet  tliat  was  but  one  item  in  tho  expenditure. 
The  work  went  on  without  intermission,  day 
and  night,  winter  and  summer;  an  army,  whoso 
numbers  reaehed  tw'olvo  thousand  men,  toiling 
like  ants,  relay  sueeeeding  relay,  until  at  hast 
tho  utmost  rosistaneo  of  "nature  stern  and 
wild"  liad  been  ovorcome. 

An  interesting  feature  was  the  employment 
in  the  winter  of  dog-teams  drawing  toboggans, 
whieh  bore  lieavy  loads  of  provisions  or  material 
over  tho  deep  snow  that  rendered  the  use  of 
any  other  kind  of  conveyance  quite  out  of  the 
question. 


77//';  CANADTA.y   rAClFIC   ItAILWAV.      110 


N(»r  were,  tin;  <;rim  uwV  ])!irri('rH  of  l]i;i,l,  iioi'tli- 
ciii  kIioi'O  Mu)  most  pcuplcixini^  ohstjidcs  tlH5 
l)Mil(l<M'M  liiul  to  ov(M'(;onin.  VaVcu  mom  dinicult 
to  rcc-lvoti  witli  w(3ro  i]u)  morasHOH,  ucross  wIioho 
siillfMi,  troacluM'ou.s  Hiirfjico  an  oiiduring  road- 
l)t'(l   liad  to  1)0  laid. 

Somn  of  tlioso  proved  vcM'itablo  lK)ttoml(;HS 
pits;  and  aftcM*  montlis  of  toil,  niid  tlio  lahorioiis 
dinnpiiijj^  of  thoiiHaiids  of  tons  of  stono  and  earth 
wliich  wore  swallowed  down  without  any  per- 
('(•[)(  Ible  effect,  the  {ittem[)t  to  erosH  th(!m  liad 
to  he  abandoned,  and  a  more  circuitous  route 
a(loj»ted. 

Others  pretended  to  bo  gorged  for  a  time; 
but  ere  long  opcMied  their  maws  for  road-l)(;d 
and  rails,  and  the  filling  in  liad  to  be  re[)eated. 
It  was  only  last  ydar  that  the  writer  was  de- 
layed several  hours  by  the  sinking  of  the  tra(;k 
at  one  of  these  morasses,  \vhi(di  necessitated  the 
cars  being  carefully  towed  across  the  weak  spot 
one  by  one,  and  the  train  made  up  again  on  the 
other  side;  and  he  was  informed  that  into  this 
very  morass  thousands  of  carloads  of  gravel 
had  been  dumped,  yet  it  required  constant 
watching. 

A  pleasant  contrast  to  this  tedious  and  costly 


1  ;.o 


I nr  liOM  )  V(  r  i)r  rtwrniurK, 


li 


ill  ! 


i 


ti 


oonshuolion  wmm  llio  iMiiMiM}*,  nf  (lio  mml  frnni 

W'lMUIpCjJ    \>  osi   (o  (ho    MtM'KN     MoUMliliUM.        Wow 

i]\»Mo  >>«Mv  no  lUfrfMMl  \!\mninlM  ol'  lorK,  no 
«loop,  JoriMllul  nioiMMiu'M  ;  l»n(  inslnnl  iIumimiI' 
0  jj»>o»l  l»onoM(  («n''  ooviMlii^v  ())o  liiuv^l  wbor' 
Koil   in   i\\\   1^0      »  'ItV 

N«'\v,  MU'v  ^vi*  "vljo  rotiroivoM  of  <1m»  |»n\irloM 
«s  w  Vi\s(.  K  \  >  (  o\5  .  Ms»»  of  v»M«hno  JM  jrnMilly 
tuis(;»lvon.  rho  jMiiirio  Im  nol  l(»v»'I  nl  nil  in 
any  |>;\v(.  It  \n\*lul;\(('M  liKo  Ilu»  t»«MM«n,  liHin^r 
nn»i  fallir^v;-  in  j';\t>;\(  swaliv^  Mn«l  riunnhMl  hoi 
lo\>s.  t*>  \>lnol\  ;v  vMilwMv  innNl  notMls  tivroMtnio- 
ihxio  itsoll   :»s  l>os(    il   n\My. 

'V\w  h\u\y\o\n  of  tl\(>  ('Mn;nliMn  rnriCu'  roiild 
»u>l  tl\oivt\nv  sitnply  liw  tlown  n  lot  of  (ioM 
rtn<l  spiUo  tl\(^  rail'^  io  tli.  \\\.  To  simmiiv  a  l(»V('l 
n>;ui  Ivti.  :\tui  ono  ihal  wonM  stand  phMity  of 
haul  \vo;\r.  an*!  l>o  aln^vt*  tlu»  wintor  Nn«>\v,  no 
e-mail  aniount  *>f  ovadino-  an*!  hallastinp*  was 
iuvo}4sarv.  All  of  wlnoh  was  tlu>roni»hlv  dono. 
Yot  for  vapidity  of  ronst motion  iho  rooords  of 
railroad  buiUlini;"  prosont  ni^thini^  to  surpass 
what  was  aoooniplishod  on  that  sootii>n  of  tlu^ 
lino.  A  fow  tiii'uros  anil  datos  will  liolp  to 
iwako  thorn  oloav. 

Hogiuniniv  at  WinnijVi;  in  the  month  of  Muy, 


rnii:  iANAhiAs  iwciim'  uaii,\v,\y      \i,\ 


^'<H|,f))   (Im)  rlo4n  nf  tli(«  ycMir   fniinR    vvcin  tiltln 
(i,    Mill    M»r»  iiiiIrM   wrMlvviil'l  nvMr  (I  liiiiMlir'!  Ii)ir|<. 
'I'jir  fill  |n\viii}r  H«'iiHMn   hiiw    11!'  mil«^M   fiinii'    (  om 
iilrlfi!  ;    mill  ill   \HH\\  ||i(>  nwimimiij^  <»V<)  iml<  ••.  of 
Mil*   |iiiiiiiM  M(<(  linn   vvm    |hiI.    in    iiiMinn'^  iiMlfi, 

IIDlkill^^      III'*      WOIIiIm  fill      Idttll     of     \)^'il     Mlll'H     of 

wril  liiiilt    kiimI   mm    \\\i\    ri<Hiilr  nf   llircn  KOiKO/m* 


Wi»i 


llow    lliiM    vvitM    ncroinpliMlii  (I     It   <    «l      lilq    of 

lIlP   Witik    U'V'Mll.        Ill    folly    I  wo  »|)M    ;  t   I'    hir    yt'MV 

iHHlj,  IH4  Miili'M  of  iiiiiiii  lino  w«  in  li  I,  l»ninjr 
IMI  avfun^rn  of  <».  Ill  MiilnH  ii  «l)i.  v  liiMiv;  <>f 
Hidin^rH.  Tlin  nnxl,  yrii,r  rvnn  (liiH  wondrrfiil 
iicliiovnMiniit  wim  Hiir|»(i.MHn(|,  ji,h  in  \it\\,y-i',\y\\[, 
WnyH  hl(>  niiIrM  wrin  Im/kI  ;  wliilo  in  fMMi  rfcfjifl- 
ln«Mi.l\inj.(  (lii.y  llin  jiIiiiohI,  incr^irliMn  fijnin',  f>f 
!>.IIH  iiiil(<K  vviiM  }i,Mii,inc»|,  no  Ichh  iJian  ^)!0  t,on,s 
nl  Hi(H)I  I'JiilH  Ix'in^  i«'(|iiirn»|  to  "  in»;i  "  tJio 
rnii(M)0(l. 

Of  (MMimn  no  kiicIi  luilliiuit  r;i,l,n  of   r»rofaf;.H.H 


WHS   poHHihIn   whrn    Mm    nioiint.ain    r;i,n;n;,H   wf-ro 
rt'iicliiMl,  and  llin    llockirH,  tin;  Sfilkiiks,  ;ind   U 


in 


(Jold  Uan^M!  Iiad  to  1m;  icickoncd  vvitli.  It  nf^Ht 
iKNirly  a  million  ponndH  Ht(;rlin^  to  H';(;k  out 
and  Hurvny  a  practicaMo  ronto  tliron<^di  tlioso 
gigantic    ghujicr-crowiicd    banioiH,    and    many 


T^ 


[52 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMEliCE. 


Ill 


more  iiullions  to  construct  tlio  iron  roiid.  In- 
trei)id  cMi^inccrs  luul  to  bo  swunj^  from  tlio 
edges  of  dizzy  cliffs,  and  cut  tlicir  way  foot  by 
foot  tbrough  abysmal  valleys  choked  with  tho 
iU'hri»  of  a  thousand  avalanches,  before  tlic  lino 
could  bo  laid  out. 

When  tho  work  was  at  length  com2)leted, 
every  niilo  had  its  marvel  of  natural  scenery 
or  of  human  ingenuity.  Kow  clind)ing  high  to 
tho  snowy  summit,  now  descending  far  into  tho 
sliadowy  canon,  tho  ever-varying  vistas  o])ened, 
and  made  it  easy  for  the  traveller,  lounging  lux- 
uriously on  velvet  cushions  in  the  Pullman  car, 
to  imagine  himself  transported  to  the  legendary 
land  of  Asgard,  tho  home  of  Thor  and  Woden 
and  of  Balder  the  Beautiful. 

In  Avouderful  ways  had  tho  difficulties  of  tho 
route  been  surmouuted.  Tremendous  trestles, 
some  of  them  hundreds  of  feet  in  height,  or 
steel  bridges,  seemingly  as  light  as  a  spider's 
web,  bore  the  train  over  the  gloomy  gorges ; 
liuge  snowsheds,  built  of  mighty  timbers  and 
ponderous  bowlders,  made  mockery  of  the  ava- 
lanches that  otherwise  would  have  gleefully 
swept  the  track  from  the  mountain-side  ;  lofty 
tunnels   bored   through  the  solid  rock  solved 


THE  CANADIAN  PACIFIC  HAILWAY.     153 


many  a  problem  in  j^radc  and  progression.  And 
thus  a  safe  and  speedy  way  through  the  moun- 
tains was  triumphantly  established. 

Not  only  is  this  way  safe  and  speedy,  it  is 
also  one  of  the  most  riehly  endowed  with  scenic 
splendor  in  all  the  world.  From  the  time  the 
traveller  enters  the  Gap  just  beyond  Galgary 
until  he  is  almost  withii  sight  of  the  Pacific 
coast,  he  is  passing  through  a  sea  of  mountains, 
where  serrated  peaks  and  vast  i)yramids  of 
rock,  with  curiously  contorted  and  folded  strata, 
are  followed  by  gigantic  castellated  masses, 
down  whose  gleaming  sides  the  snow-white  gla- 
ciers like  the  water-falls  of  Tennyson's  Lotus- 
land,  — 

To  fall,  ami  paus*^  and  fall  do  seem, 

or  the  Cascades,  — 

Liko  a  downward  smoke, 
Slow-dropping  veils  of  thinnest  lawn,  do  go  ; 

while  others  yet  again,  — 

Through  wavering  lights  and  shadows  hreak, 
Rolling  a  troubled  sheet  of  foam  below. 

Amidst  such  sublime  scenery  as  this,  Cole- 
ridge might  have  caught  inspiration  for  a  hymn 
like  that  which  he  penned  in  the  Vale  of  Cha- 
mouni :  — 


•   i 

1   1 


IM 


rilh:   IH}}tA\rH  or  iOMMKUCK, 


II 


*' Vo  Iro-frtlN!     \o  Ih.il   fnMii  llio  nioiinlainS  t»rn\v 
Ailown  ononnoii^  r:ivin<*<t  nlopo  nin.iin 
TornMils,   nu'lliiiik*.   lli.-il    lifinl   :i   inichly   volt'O, 
An«l  hIo|))>«>«|  at  oiir«>  niniilHi    ili«<ir  ii):«I<I«'.h|   pliiiiKo! 
Motiot>l««s.H  lorriMiln!     Silful   «*siiiir;uMH! 
Who  iiiiiiti^  you  );lorioii<(  an  llio  gal«'.s  of  II«mv«mi?** 

Hut  aft«M'  all,  nii1r«»rnU  aro  clilrny  instni- 
nuMits  of  r»>miiu*n*»s  aiul  tlic  most  iM-auliful 
and  8uMiino  sfiMMMv  will  imt  in  itself  contiMit 
stockhoMtMs  tMLjiT  for  »livi<lrinls.  It  is  tlnM'o- 
fon»  of  iniu'h  iiioiv  |>racti<al  inonu'Ht  tliat  tlio 
(^madiaii  ratilur  should  offer  to  the  Old  World 
tl\o  sliortt'st  n>ad  to  tlie  marvellous,  mysterious 
Far  I'^ist,  toward  wliiidi  tlio  evos  of  the  world 
havo  of  late  boon  turned  with  poouliar  interest, 
while  sturdy,  skilful,  alert  little  Japan  ileal t 
cflfeetive  Mow  ui>on  blow  at  huge  but  unwieldy 
China. 

So  remarkable  is  the  saving  of  time  aeeom- 
plished  by  this  new  route,  that  it  is  now  j>ossi- 
ble  to  go  from  Liverpool  to  Yokohama  in  little 
more  than  double  the  time  required  to  cross 
the  Atlantic  but  a  few  vears  a<jo. 

The  Canadian  Paoitic  has  its  own  steamers 
plying  between  the  Far  West  and  the  Far  Fast; 
splendid  steamships  of  six  thousand  tons  bur- 
then, that  plough  their  way  through  the  waves 


TIIK  I'ANADIAN    rACUU:   nAllAVAY.      1.^5 


of  llio  l)i(»!ul  I*ii('i('u'  Jit  IIk^  liiln  of  cij^'hicMUi 
knots  ui\  lioiir;  iiiwl  it  Wiis  liy  inoaiiH  of  tlicsn 
octMin  gn'ylioiiii(ls  that  tlii^  Compiiny  waH  cn- 
jiblcd  to  acu'oii  plisli  wliat  was  tliiis  nM'oi«lr<l   in 

'  'riic  delivery  of  \\\v,  mails 


in 


niu'H 


tlu;  Lon<l( 

in  liondon  within  tw<3nt}'-ono  days  of  their  ieav- 
'\\\\r  Yokohama  is  a  frat  ncivcr  lM!for(5  accom- 
j)lish('d,  suilicicntly  icmarkahh)  in  itscll,  and 
pregnant  with  niitohl  issues  for  the  future  of 
tlie   IJritish  l'inii»ir(\" 

Huro  is  an  outline  of   that   uni([ue   perform- 
ic,  beforo    wliieh   .Inh'S    Veiini's  Around  llu; 


un( 


World  in  Ft'i/fiti/  l>nyn  sinks  into  insi^Miili- 
caiu;o.  'I'lio  steanu-r  lOmpnsss  of  Japan  left 
Yokoliamji  in  the  moiniuf^  of  Au^'.  ID,  1800, 
and  rcaelicd  V^ineouviu*,  Itiitish  (/olund^ia,  hy 
noon  of  tho  2!Hh.  An  liour  hiter  the  mails 
started  eastward  on  a  s[)eeial  train  that  wliiried 
them  to  Hrockvilh;,  Ontario,  in  soventy-seveu 
hours  !  Having  Iuhmi  ferried  across  tho  St. 
Jiawrence,  tlu^y  were  caught  up  hy  a  New 
York  Central  train,  which  seven  hours  later 
d  Hvered  them  in  New  York  City,  wliero  th(!y 
were  hurried  on  board  tho  steamsliip  City 
of  Now  York,  which  sailed  at  once  for  Liver- 
pool, reaching  there  within  six  days.    Such  an 


^' 


i        t 


n 


156 


THE  ItOMANCE  OF  COMMEltCE. 


achievement  is  a  veritable  romance  of  com- 
merce, a  triumph  of  enterprise  and  invention 
over  conditions  of  space  and  time  that,  except 
in  some  subordinate  particuhirs,  may  remain  un- 
challenged until  the  air-ships,  upon  the  verge 
of  whose  practical  adaptation  we  seem  now  to 
be  trembling,  shall  have  made  us  gloriously 
independent  of  all  metes  and  bounds,  and 
brought  us  as  near  as  we  ever  shall  get  to 
the  ability  of  being  in  two  places  at  the  same 
time. 


THE  MEDITERRANEAN  OF  CANADA.      lo7 


chaptp:r  XI. 


THE  MEDITERRANEAN   OF  CANADA. 


The  history  of  human  effort  to  pierce  the 
ice-defended  mysteries  of  the  arctic  zone  is 
invested,  not  only  with  deepest  interest,  but 
with  the  most  moving  patlios.  Franklin  and 
his  gallant  shipmates  battling  bravely,  but,  alas  ! 
hopelessly,  for  life  amidst  tlie  pitiless,  pathless 
ice-floes,  and  Henry  Hudson  thrust  forth  from 
his  own  ship  in  a  tiny  skiff  by  his  mutinous, 
murderous  crew,  to  find  a  grave  in  the  waters 
of  the  mighty  inland  sea  that  would  alone  pre- 
serve his  remembrance,  are  names  associated 
in  our  minds  with  feelings  of  tenderest  sym- 
pathy, not  less  than  of  warmest  admiration. 
Those  who  bore  them  were  to  our  continent 
wliat  Livingstone  was  to  Africa ;  and  to  their 
self-sacrificing  lieroism  we  are  indebted  in  like 
manner  for  additions  to  the  sum  of  human 
knowledgfe   whose   worth  cannot  be  estiniated. 

Seeing  that  the  first  motive  which  impelled 
men   to  pit  themselves   against  the   terrors  of 


■    1 

r^ 

158 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMEBCE. 


those  thrilling  regions  of  thick-ribbed  ice  was 
the  hope  of  discovering  a  safer  and  speedier 
passage  to  the  wondrous  treasures  of  the  East 
tlian  the  storm-beset  route  around  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  afforded,  it  is  exceedingly  inter- 
esting to  find  that  an  important  question  of 
to-day  is  whether  or  not  a  practicable  com- 
mercial liigliway  can  be  established  through 
the  inland  ocean  which  bears  the  name  of  Hud- 
son to  the  very  heart  of  this  American  conti- 
nent. The  hope  of  a  north-west  passage  to  the 
Indies  has  long  been  abandoned.  Indeed,  the 
cutting  of  the  Suez  Canal  would  have  finally 
superseded  the  enterprise,  even  though  there 
had  been  prospects  of  a  successful  issue.  But 
a  north-west  passage  to  the  North-west  itself  is 
an  altogether  different  thing,  and  it  is  some  ac- 
count of  tlie  extensive  explorations  which  have 
been  carried  on  to  this  end  that  I  shall  now  at- 
tempt to  give. 

Looking  carefully  at  the  map  of  North  Amer- 
ica, and  noting  how  far  the  vast  bulk  of  Hud- 
son's Bay  thrusts  itself  inland,  it  is  evident  at 
once  that  the  examination  of  this  miglity  sea, 
with  a  view  to  determining  its  possibilities  in 
the  way  of  navigation,  could  be  simply  a  ques- 


TUE  MllbJTEUliAyEAN   OF  CANADA,      lol) 


tion  of  time.  So  long  as  only  the  eastern  and 
central  parts  of  Canada  were  settled,  the  St. 
Lawrence  did  well  enough  ;  but  when  once  the 
tide  of  population  began  to  flow  over  the  bound- 
less prairies  of  the  west,  and  to  garner  from 
them  such  harvests  as  not  even  Egypt  might 
surpass,  the  men  who  chafed  at  the  long  and 
costly  overland  passage  their  grain  must  un- 
dergo turned  their  eyes  toward  the  great  bay 
that  seemed  to  promise  a  means  of  relief,  and 
they  demanded  that  the  government  of  Canada 
sliould  take  measures  to  ascertain  whether  the 
promise  could  be  fulfilled  or  not. 

Parliament  is  proverbially  slow  to  move. 
You  must  be  very  much  in  earnest,  very  per- 
sistent, and,  above  all  things,  have  some  influ- 
ence over  a  constituency  or  two,  in  order  to 
gain  any  favors  from  it.  Fortunate!  v  for  their 
enterprise,  those  who  were  interes  i  in  Hud- 
son's Bay  possessed  all  of  these  v;  liable  quali- 
fications ;  and  so  in  the  early  par  >>f  January, 
1884,  we  find  a  committee  of  the  House  of 
Commons  appointed  to  take  int(/  consideration 
the  question  of  the  navigation  of  Hudson's 
Bay,  with  power  to  send  for  persons,  papers, 
and  records.     The  committee  sat  for  nearlv  two 


i 


I  f 


I  j 


l» 


160 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


months,  examined  a  number  of  persons  who 
either  had,  or  were  supposed  to  have,  some 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  plunged  deep  hito 
the  records  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
whicli  went  to  show  that  for  two  centuries  their 
vessels  had  navigated  the  bay  every  year,  and 
altogether  carried  out  their  instructions  in  a 
very  thorougli  and  creditable  manner,  conclud- 
ing tlieir  labor  by  bringing  in  a  report  which 
the  government  considered  ample  justification 
for  granting  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  tc  cover 
the  expenses  of  systematic  investigation. 

The  first  exploring  expedition  set  forth  from 
the  harbor  of  Halifax  in  the  month  of  July, 
1884.  It  comprised  a  single  vessel,  the  New* 
foundland  steam  whaler  Neptune,  under  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant  A.  II.  Gordon,  Assistant 
Superint.y.ident  of  the  Meteorological  Service  of 
Canada,  and  having  on  l)oard  Dr.  Bell  of  the 
Geological  Survey,  seven  observers,  and  twelve 
station-men.  Tlie  Neptune  was  not  just  the 
most  desirable  sort  of  a  vessel  for  tlie  purpose. 
Slie  was  as  slow  as  a  snail,  afforded  at  best  very 
cramped  accommodation  ;  and,  moreover,  having 
seen  long  service  in  the  odoriferous  occupation 
of  whrJing,  was  rich  in  reminiscences  of  the 


TUK  MtJDITEUIiANICAX   OF  CANADA.      101 


business,  which  coukl  iievtT  by  any  possibility 
liavo  been  mistaken  for  seeiits  from  Araby  the 
blest.  Her  redeeming  feature  was  her  sturdy 
strenirth,  which  ena])led  her  to  submit  unharmed 
to  tlie  fiercest  buffeting,  not  only  of  the  wind 
and  wave,  but  of  ice-floe  and  rock-reef  also. 

Setting  forth  from  Halifax  on  July  22,  1884, 
the  Neptune,  sailing  up  through  the  (nilf  of 
St.  I-;iwrence  and  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  coasted 
along  tiie  bleak,  forbidding  Labrad(^r  shore  un- 
til she  arrived  at  Cape  Chudleigh,  which  forms 
one  of  the  lips  of  the  mouth  of  Hudson 
Strait.  Many  icebergs  wt  >;  encountered  on 
the  way,  and  constant  vigilance  had  to  be  ex- 
ercised to  guard  against  their  coming  to  close 
quarters. 

At  Cape  Chudleigh  a  dense  fog  enveloped 
the  vessel,  and  kept  her  a  close  prisoner  for 
several  days.  When  it  cleared  away  she  pushed 
on  through  the  strait,  and  looked  about  until  a 
hue  harbor  was  discovered  on  the  north-west- 
ern shore  of  the  cape,  which  was  evidently  just 
the  place  for  Observatory  Station  No.  1.  As 
some  slight  consolation  for  having  to  spend 
the  winter  there,  the  station  was  called  Port 
Burwell   in   honor   of    the   observer    who   was 


^m 

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IH! 


162 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMEliCE. 


placed  in  cliarge,  with  two  station-men  to 
keep  him  company.  Tlie  same  pleasant  com- 
pliment was  paid  each  of  the  other  observers 
left  behind  during  the  progress  of  the  expe- 
dition ;  and  future  geographers  will  therefore 
I)lease  take  note  of  Ashe  Inlet  on  the  north 
side  of  the  strait,  a  little  m-^re  than  midway 
between  the  ocean  and  the  bay;  Stupart's  Bay, 
immediately  opposite  on  the  southern  sliore ; 
Port  De  Boucherville  on  Nottingham  Island ; 
and  Port  Laperriere  on  Digges  Island. 

At  each  of  these  places  an  observer  and  two 
stationmen  were  established  in  snug  huts  taken 
up  for  the  purpose,  and  fitted  out  with  unstinted 
stores  of  food,  fuel,  furs,  and  every  necessary 
comfort,  besides,  of  course,  a  complete  list  of 
suoli  instruments  as  would  be  required  for  the  ob- 
servations as  to  movements  of  the  ice,  tides,  and 
winds.  The  observers  were  also  instructed  to 
note  down  carefully  everything  of  importance 
as  to  the  migration  of  mammals,  birds,  and  fish, 
and  also  as  to  the  growth  of  grasses.  In  fact, 
they  were  to  Ind  out  everything  they  possibly 
could ;  and  it  may  be  said  here  that  without 
exception  they  discharged  their  duties  in  a 
thoroughly   satisfactory   manner,  and   thus  ac- 


THE  MEDTTEIiliANEAN  OF  CANADA.      163 


cumulated  an  immense  mass  of  information 
about  a  region  of  country  hitherto  almost  un- 
known. 

Having  established  the  stations  one  by  one, 
the  Neptune  then  turned  northward  to  visit 
Chesterfield  Inlet  and  Marble  Island,  thence 
southward  to  Fort  Churchill,  the  future  Liver- 
pool of  that  region,  if  the  hopes  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  railway  promoters  shall  ever  be  realized; 
and  southward  still  to  Fort  York,  the  present 
commercial  metropolis  of  the  bay,  if  so  fine  a 
term  may  be  applied  to  a  place  whose  business 
activity  is  compressed  into  a  week  or  two  out 
of  each  year,  and  is  then  limited  to  receiving 
a  cargo  from,  and  providing  a  return  cargo  for, 
a  single  ship. 

All  this  took  from  Aug.  6  to  Sept.  12.  On 
the  evening  of  the  latter  day  the  Neptune 
struck  out  across  the  broad  bosom  of  the  bay 
for  Digges  Island,  and  beginning  with  Port 
Laperriere  made  a  farewell  tour  of  the  various 
stations,  after  which  her  course  was  shaped 
homewards;  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  being 
reached  by  Oct.  11,  when  the  voyage  came  to 
an  end. 

The  results  of  the  expedition  were  very  con- 


104 


THE  JiOMANCE  OF  COMMKUCE. 


1 

i 

.1 

i! 


n 


sidcrable,  iillliougli  of  course  llioy  were  011I3' 
I)reliiuinaiy.  \\\  rufercjiico  to  llui  ice  which  liad 
Ijithei'to  been  supposed  to  bo  tlie  luost  formi- 
diible  barrier  to  the  navigation  of  tlie  waters, 
Lieutenant  (Jordon,  tlie  conunander  of  the  expe- 
dition, reported  thnt  on  eh)se  inspection  its  teri'or 
very  hirgely  disappears.  Tlie  ice  met  with  dur- 
ing his  cruise  could  be  divided  into  three  classes, 
each  class  having  a  separate  origin  ;  namely,  ice- 
bergs from  the  glaciers  of  Fox  Channel,  heavy 
arctic  ice  from  the  channel  itself,  and  ordinary 
field-ice,  being  that  formed  on  the  shores  of  the 
bay  and  strait. 

No  icebergs  were  encountered  in  Hudson's 
Bay,  nor  were  any  reported  as  having  been  seen 
there  in  the  past ;  but  in  the  strait  a  good  many 
were  met  with,  principidly  along  the  northern 
shore,  where  a  number  were  stranded  in  the  coves, 
while  some  others  were  passed  in  mid-channel. 
They  were  not  thought,  however,  to  form  any 
greater  barriers  to  navigation  than  do  those  met 
with  in  Belle  Isle  Strait,  nor  were  they  more 
numerous  than  they  frequently  are  in  these 
waters.  The  field-ice  encountered,  although  it 
would  have  compelled  an  ordinary  iron  steamer 
to  go  dead  slow,  gave  no  trouble  to  the  Neptune, 


THE  MKlilTKintANEAN  OF  CANADA.      Km 


the  vessel  running   at  full  speed  between  the 
pans,  and  rarely  touching  one  of  them. 

The  following  summer  a  second  expedition, 
in  cliarge  of  the  same  commander  as  before, 
went  up  to  the  bay,  this  time  in  a  much  su- 
perior vessel,  II.  M.  S.  Alert,  whicli  had  been 
lent  for  tlie  purpose  by  tlie  British  naval  autlior- 
ities.  In  every  respect,  except,  perjjaps,  speed, 
a  better  vessel  than  this  steamsliip  could  hardly 
have  been  selected.  She  had  been  specially  re- 
built for  the  Nares  arctic  expedition  of  1871), 
and  was  so  constructed  as  to  be  capable  of  resist- 
ing great  ice  pressure,  while  her  engines  gave 
a  very  creditable  amount  of  steam  for  a  snuiU 
expenditure  of  coal.  It  being  deemed  essen- 
tial to  determine,  so  far  as  possible,  the  time  of 
the  opening  of  Hudson's  Strait  for  navigation, 
a  much  earlier  start  was  made  than  before ; 
the  Alert  steaming  out  of  Halifax  harbor  on 
the  27th  of  May.  Unfortunately,  however,  the 
fates  saw  fit  to  frustrate  this  design  ;  for  after 
making  her  way  witli  much  difHiculty,  but  no 
mishap,  through  fields  of  ice  and  banks  of  fog 
right  up  to  tlie  mouth  of  the  strait,  on  the 
IGth  of  June  the  ice  set  solid  to  the  ship,  fore 
and  aft,  rafting  and  piling  up  all  around  her, 


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and  tlic  next  day  it  was  diseovercd  that  the 
iron  stern-plates  had  been  Ijroken  off  some  dis- 
tance below  tlie  water.  Tiiis  was  a  most  serious 
injury,  as  l^ieutenant  Gordon  did  not  dare  drive 
liis  ship  at  all  hard  tlirough  the  ice,  and  from 
that  day  until  Jul}'  G  was  compelled  to  let 
her  drift  about,  the  })laything  and  sport  of  the 
pitiless  ice-king.  Thus  much  precious  time 
was  lost,  and  a  still  further  delay  occasioned 
by  the  necessity  of  returning  to  Newfoundland 
for  repairs,  which  took  until  nearly  the  end  of 
the  month,  so  that  August  had  come  before 
the  first  station.  Port  Burwell,  was  reached. 
The  observer  and  liis  assistants  were  found  in 
excellent  health,  and  reported  having  passed 
a  very  pleasant  winter,  even  if  the  cold  did 
sometimes  happen  to  freeze  the  mercury  solid. 

The  round  of  the  different  stations  was  then 
made;  and  the  men  who  had  ppent  the  winter 
there  Avere  replaced  by  fresh  garrisons,  the 
number  in  each  case  being  the  same  as  before. 
With  two  exce})tions  the  men  were  found  in 
perfect  health ;  the  exceptions  being  one  of 
the  observers,  who  was  suffering  from  a  slight 
attack  of  scurvv,  and  one  of  the  station  hands, 
who  had  fallen  a   victim  to  that   disease.     In 


\ 


TUE  MEDITERRANEAN  OF  CANADA.      1G7 


the  latter  case  the  fault  lay  entirely  with 
the  unfortunate  fellow,  as  during  the  winter 
months  he  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  time 
in  bed,  and  persistently  neglected  every  pre- 
caution against  an  attack.  After  visiting  Fort 
Churchill,  where,  as  may  be  readily  supposed, 
the  advent  of  the  Alert  was  hailed  with  de- 
light by  the  little  band  of  residents,  and  her 
departure  was  delayed  by  a  violent  storm  that 
lasted  over  a  week,  the  return  voyage  was 
entered  upon,  the  parting  round  of  the  sta- 
tions made,  and  their  tiny  garrisons  were  left 
to  the  cold  and  darkness  of  a  long  and  dreary 
arctic  winter. 

The  third  expedition  in  which  the  Alert 
was  again  used  sailed  on  June  24,  1886,  and 
had  far  better  luck  than  its  immediate  prede- 
cessor, as  no  special  difficulty  or  cause  of  de- 
lay was  experienced,  the  season  proving  to  be 
somewhat  earlier  than  the  previous  year,  and 
the  ice  consequently  in  a  much  more  disor- 
ganized condition.  It  is  true  that  while  ram- 
ming at  a  thick  bar  of  ice  a  little  more  than 
half-way  through  the  strait  the  screw  got 
worsted  in  the  encounter  to  the  extent  of  one 
blade ;  but  as  the  same  accident  had  occurred 


l-^ 


5     U 


jifil 


168 


TUE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


on  both  the  previous  trips,  Lieutenant  Gordon 
knew  exactly  how  to  repair  the  damage,  and 
little  time  was  lost.  The  stations  were  visited 
in  turn,  and  all  their  occupants  taken  off,  as 
they  were  to  be  maintained  no  longer.  This 
duty  accomplislied,  an  excursion  was  made  to 
the  Marble  Island  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
bay,  a  great  resort  of  whalers,  in  whose  chief 
harbor  there  is  a  spot  called  I)eadman\s  Island, 
because  of  the  number  of  graves  dotting  its 
bleak  and  barren  back,  with  pathetic  memorials 
of  those  who  had  gone  out  from  their  New 
Bedford  homes  to  return  no  more  forever. 

Forts  York  and  Churchill  were  then  called 
at,  and  a  survey  made  of  the  latter  place  with 
a  view  of  ascertaining  its  commercial  capabili- 
ties; the  result  being  that  it  was  pronounced 
admirably  suited  for  the  water  terminus  of  a 
railroad  system,  and  easily  convertible  into  a 
port  fit  for  doing  a  business  of  great  magnitude. 
The  estuary  of  the  Nelson  River,  by  the  shores 
of  which  Fort  York  stands,  is,  on  the  other 
hand,  declared  by  Lieutenant  Gordon  to  be  one 
of  the  most  dangerous  places  in  the  world  for 
shipping ;  so  that,  if  Hudson's  Bay  ever  does 
become   the  summer  outlet  for  the  commerce 


THE  MEDrrEIiliAyKAX  OF  CANADA.      1()9 


of  the  groat  Nortli-west,  Cliuichill  hail)()r  must 
undoubtedly  be  tlie  shi[)[)ing-[)oi't.  Some  day 
or  other  tliere  may  be  a  boom  U[)  tliere,  and 
this  little  bit  of  information  may  i)r()ve  very 
valuable ;  but  I  present  it  very  freely  to  my 
readers,  notwithstanding,  and  they  ean  use  it 
as  they  see  fit. 

Having  thus  glanced  briefly  at  the  movement 
of  three  expeditions,  my  next  business  is  to 
rescue  the  more  im[)ortant  results  of  their  ex- 
plorations from  the  quick  oblivion  of  the  blue 
book,  and  make  theiu  public  property ;  a  task 
that  has  been  rendered  materially  more  inter- 
esting through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Ashe, 
observer  at  Ashe  Inlet,  in  placing  at  my  dis- 
posal the  extensive  and  valuable  notes  made 
by  him  during  his  winter  sojourn. 

First  of  all,  a  word  or  two  in  reference  to  tho 
Hudson  Bay  itself.  Tlie  proportions  of  this  in- 
land ocean  are  such  as  to  give  it  a  prominent 
place  among  the  geographical  features  of  the 
world.  One  thousand  three  hundred  miles  in 
length  by  six  hundred  miles  in  breadth,  it  ex- 
tends over  twelve  degrees  of  latitude,  and 
covers  an  area  not  less  than  half  a  million 
square  miles.     Of  the   five  basins   into  which 


170 


TUE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


'  ,1 


Canada  is  divided,  that  of  Hudson's  Bay  is  im- 
measurably the  largest,  the  extent  of  country 
draining  into  it  being  estimated  at  three  million 
square  miles.  To  swell  the  mighty  volume  of 
its  waters,  there  come  rivers  which  take  their 
rise  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  on  the  West,  and 
the  Labrador  wilderness  on  the  East,  while 
southward  its  river  roots  stretch  far  down  be- 
low the  forty-ninth  parallel,  until  they  tap  the 
same  lake  source  whence  flows  a  stream  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is 
perfectly  possible  that  a  passing  breath  of  wind 
should  determine  whether  the  ultimate  destiny 
of  the  raindrop  falling  into  that  little  lake  be 
the  balmy  bosom  of  the  Mexican  Gulf  or  the 
chilly  grasp  of  the  arctic  ice-floe. 

Although  seemingly  so  remote  from  the  needs 
of  humanity,  Hudson's  Bay  has  been  the  scene 
of  many  a  conflict,  its  possession  being  fiercely 
disputed  by  the  French  and  English  for  a  period 
extending  over  two  centuries.  An  interesting 
relic  of  those  tumultuous  days  is  still  to  be  seen 
in  what  is  without  doubt  the  largest  ruin  in 
North  America,  —  Fort  Prince  of  Wales,  whose 
battered  walls  stand  out  prominently  upon 
the  point  of  the  west  side  of  the  entrance  to 


THE  MEDirEIiliANKAX  OF  C  AX  A  DA.      171 


Churchill  Haihor.  Begun  in  IToS,  it  occupied 
several  years  in  building,  and  when  completed 
must  have  lof)ked  very  imposing,  with  its  loi'ty 
stone  battlements  and  twoscore  menacinfjf  can- 
non.  Yet  strong  as  it  was,  (rovernor  Ilearne, 
who  had  charge  in  1782,  surrendered  without 
firing  a  shot  to  the  French  Admiral  La  Pe- 
rouse  when  he  appeared  before  him  in  a  seventy- 
four,  accompanied  by  two  frigates,  and  sum- 
moned him  to  yield.  La  Pc rouse  spiked  and 
dismounted  the  guns,  partially  destroyed  tlio 
walls,  and  then  sailed  away  with  his  prisoners, 
leaving  the  fort  to  a  neglect  and  silence  that 
have  never  been  broken  since,  except  when  per- 
chance some  curious  visitor  explores  its  fast 
crumbling  ruins. 

The  chief  reason  for  the  deep  interest  mani- 
fested in  the  bay  by  the  two  great  rivals  was 
their  desire  to  control  the  lucrative  fur-trade 
for  which  it  offered  so  excellent  an  outlet. 
The  famous  Hudson's  Bay  Company  was  formed 
under  the  patronage  of  Prince  Rupert  in  1088, 
and  forthwith  proceeded  to  establish  forts  along 
the  shore,  beginning  with  Moose  Factory  at  the 
foot  of  James  I5ay.  Forts  Albany,  York,  and 
Churchill   followed  in  duo  time;  and  regular 


172 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


communicjition  has  been  maintained  between 
them  and  Great  Britain,  the  records  sliowing 
tliat  with  tlie  exce[)ti()n  of  one  year  (1779)  a 
ship  has  annnally  visited  ]\Ioose  Factory  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty-one  years,  and  York  Factory 
for  ninety-seven  years. 

Tlic  native  Indians  and  Eskimos  were  from 
the  first  deliglited  at  the  establisluiient  of  these 
forts,  and  at  no  time  have  the  rehitions  between 
them  and  their  white  brethren  been  otherwise 
than  perfectly  harmonious.  Tliey  scour  the 
country  far  and  wide  for  furs, 'and,  bringing 
them  to  the  fort,  obtain  in  exchange  ammu- 
nition, guns,  hatchets,  knives,  beads,  and  other 
articles  dear  to  the  savage  heart,  and  essential 
to  their  wild  life.  They  are  a  harmless,  inof- 
fensive people  as  a  rule,  and  have  readily  lis- 
tened to  the  missionaries  sent  to  minister  unto 
their  spiritual  necessities,  the  consequent  im- 
provement in  their  life  being  easily  perceptible. 

The  Indians  of  these  regions  have  so  much 
in  common  with  the  ordinary  red  man  as  to  call 
for  no  special  remark ;  but  the  Eskimos  present 
an  individuality  and  interest  that  render  them 
peculiarly  attractive  as  a  subject  of  study  at 
all  events;  and  Mr.  Ashe's  acute  and  sympa- 


'j 


TUB  MEDITERRANEAN  OF  CANADA.      ITo 


ctweeii 
liowing 
.779)  a 
for  one 
Factory 


re  from 
A  these 
between 
Llierwise 
our   the 
bringing 
}  ammii- 
iid  other 
essential 


of- 


jss,  in 


idily  lis- 

iter  unto 

lent  ini- 

jeptible. 

Iso  much 

to  call 


pr 


ese 


nt 


Ler 


them 


itutly 


at 


symiJ 


ja- 


thetic  observations  help  ns  greatly  toward  a 
better  understanding  of  these  little-known  peo- 
ple. For  more  than  a  year  he  dwelt  iiniongst 
them  on  an  island  on  the  nortli  side  of  the 
strait,  at  about  the  middle  }toint  of  its  length, 
his  homo  being  a  frame  house  sixteen  l)y 
twenty  feet  in  dimensions,  in  which  he  and  his 
two  men  successfully  endured  a  climate  whose 
mean  temperature  was  nineteen  degrees  below 
freezing-point,  permitting  snow  to  lie  in  shady 
places  the  whole  year  round,  and  mii  'ing  a 
snowstorm  possible  in  the  height  of  sununer. 
It  is  a  sad  and  gloomy  land.  In  winter  tho 
world  lies  buried  beneath  its  monotonous  robe 
of  white.  In  summer  it  reminds  one  of  a  Dord 
illustration  to  the  Inferno  ;  for  without  a  sign 
of  vegetation  save  a  sickly  growth  of  moss 
in  sheltered  nooks,  the  bare,  bleak  rocks  lie 
tumbled  about  in  chaotic  confusion,  wearying 
the  eye  and  chilling  the  soul  witli  tlieir  un- 
mitigated sternness.  Amid  such  surroundings 
do  the  Eskimos  spend  their  life,  passing  from 
cradle  to  grave  without  one  faintest  gleam  of 
the  glorious  beauty  of  flower-strewn  meadow 
or  billowy,  verdured  forest.  And  yet  they  are 
far  from    being   an   unhappy    or   unintelligent 


I  m 


«j 


I  iff  f 


J 


ii# 


174 


Till':  iioMAycH  or  coMMEHcb:. 


race.  On  tlio  conliaiy,  tlicy  ;no  bolli  cheerful 
und  l)ri<_rlit  l>v  ii;iliire  to  a  (Icn'it'c  thai  ])Uts 
tlu'in  ii|)(>n  a  liij^luT  level  tliaii  iiiiniy  of  the 
liHliaiis  wlio  hav(!  iiuieli  greater  advaiiiatres. 

In  tlie  iiialter  of  iHechanical  abllilv,  for  in- 
stantu^,  examine  the  tool-box  of  an  Eskimo 
when  lu;  eonsidcM'S  it  well  fui'iiished,  iind  what 
does  it  contain?  A  well-worn  iile,  an  indiffer- 
ent saw,  a  fi>w  rusty  nails,  a  eheaj)  penknife, 
and  a  very  inferior  sheath-knife.  What  would 
the  ordinary  mechanic  of  civilization  accom- 
plish with  such  implements  as  these  ?  Yet 
with  these  poor  tools  the  Eskimos  will  repair 
the  locks  of  their  guns,  make  harpoons  and 
spears,  put  together  their  kayaks  and  umiaks, 
and  manufacture  all  sorts  of  things  out  of  wal- 
rus ivory.  They  will  take  the  blade  out  of  one 
penknife,  alter  it  so  as  to  be  of  suitable  size, 
and  place  it  in  another  handle,  drilling  with  a 
broken  needle  the  hole  for  the  pin  on  which 
the  blade  turns,  having  first  by  means  of  fire 
carefully  untempered  the  part  of  the  blade  to 
be  drilled. 

The  appearance  of  these  Eskimos  is  sugges- 
tive of  patience  and  perseverance.  They  are 
short  and  squat  of  figure,  the  men  averaging 


chocrfnl 
lilt   pills 
y'   of   ilio 
lUilcres. 
,',  for  in- 

Kskinio 
jiiul  wliiit 
I  iiulilTer- 
penkniCo, 
Mii  would 
m   accom- 
se  ?      Yet 
vill  repair 
lOons   and 
el  umiaks, 
i\it  of  wal- 
out  of  one 
t;il)le  size, 
in  or  Avitli  a 

on  wli it'll 
lans  of  fire 
,e  blade  to 

is  sugges- 
Tliey  are 
averaging 


7///;  Mj:i)ii i:ui:.i.\r:.i.\  or  r.i.v.i/M.     ITo 

liV(!  feel  llil('(!  ilK^lii'S,  ;iii(l  iIk^  woilU'li  live  I'nt, 
ill  liri^lit.  'riit'ir  l)rcii(Itli  is  apt  to  vaiN'  accord- 
ing lo  wlictliur  lilt!  fates  liavc  sent  llicm  plenty 
of  seal  or  not.  Tlielr  eves  and  liair  ai'e  of  tlio 
very  blaekcsl,  tlio  latter  Injing  as  straight  us, 
and  not  Ics.s  coarse  tliaii,  liorse-liair.  A  fiuorite 
aniusenieiit  among  llic  women  is  for  two  of 
them  to  st.'leet  a  liair  ont  of  llieir  licjads,  and, 
looi)ing  one  lliroiigli  the  other,  lo  pnll  on  the 
ends  hehl  in  llieir  li;inds  until  oiio  of  the  hairs 
t^-ives  wav,  to  the  vast  deli'dil  of  the  fat  Hllle 
lady  Avliose  (Mipilhiry  strength  wins  in  Ihis  odd 
tuuf-of-war. 

The  men  generally  sport  a  muslaclie,  and 
occasioiiiilly  a  beard,  the  usual  ihing,  liowever, 
being  a  tuft  on  the  chin.  They  liave  very  Hat 
noses  and  high  cheek-bones,  so  that  if  you  were 
to  liold  a  straif'ht  rule  from  one  of  the  eveballs 
to  the  other,  it  would  in  many  cases  fail  lo 
touch  the  bridge  of  the  nose.  Their  eyes  have 
an  upward  tendency  at  the  corners  ;  their  com- 
plexion is  of  a  light  brown  tinge,  often  dashed 
with  red ;  their  mouths  wide,  l)ut  not  thick- 
lipped ;  their  teeth  very  irregular,  and  consid- 
erably more  like  rusty  iron  than  gleaming  pearl 
in  color,  wliile  in  the  women  they  are  apt  to  be 


lit; 


TJii':  lioMAXcj':  or  commkhce. 


worn  down  almost  to  tlio  gums  hy  their  custom 
of  chewing,  until  it  is  soft  enough  to  he  easily 
sewn,  the  sun-stiffenccl  sealskin  out  of  whicli 
their  garments  arc  made.  However  lacking  in 
attrac^tive  qualities  the  Eskimo  helle  may  ap- 
pear to  the  civilized  eye,  she  possesses  one  ele- 
ment of  hcauty  which  even  the  most  charming 
residents  of  ]\Iadison  Square  or  Beacon  Street 
might  fairly  covet,  and  that  is  exquisitely 
small  hands  and  feet.  While  her  southern 
sister  compresses  her  nnderstandings  into  the 
tightest  of  French  l)ottines,  and  yet  is  not  sat- 
isfied, the  houri  of  Hudson  Strait  puts  on 
first  a  sealskin  stocking  with  the  fur  inside  ; 
then  another  made  out  of  the  skin  of  a  duck, 
loon,  or  raven,  with  its  feathers  still  on ;  then 
one  or  two  more  of  sealskin;  and  lastly  the  boot 
itself  —  notwithstanding  all  of  whicli  wrapping, 
her  foot  seems  small  and  daint}-. 

The  Eskimo  costume  consists  in  summer  of 
sealskins  and  in  "winter  of  reindeer-skins,  the 
latter  being  always  worn  in  duplicate,  one  set 
with  the  fur  next  the  body,  the  other  with  the 
fur  outside,  an  arrangement  that  is  even  better 
than  the  famous  one  of  Brian  O'Lynn,  who,  ac- 
cording to  the  old  song,  — 


77//;  .u/'.7>/77';/;/.'.LV/;,i.v  (>/•'  r.i.v.i/>.i. 


17V 


nislom 
1  easily 
whu;U 
king  in 
way  ap- 
)nc  elc- 
mnning 
I  Street 
[uisitely 
loutliem 
into  the 
not  sat- 
puts   on 
inside  ; 
a  duck, 
n;  then 
the  boot 
rapping, 

mmer  of 
[vins,  the 
one  set 
^vith  the 
ill  better 
who,  ac- 


"  liiiviiij;  no  l.rt'rohcs  lo  woar, 
(Jot  him  a  slict-psklii  to  inaki'  him  a  i»air,'* 

and  lh(;n,  — 

*MVi!h  tht'  sldiitiy  sldo  out  ami  th(^  woolly  .sitlc  in, 
lit!  was  Unci  and  warm  was  iJrian  O'liynn." 

Tho  piittcrn  of  thuir  garments  varies  not  a 
uhil  from  goneraiion  to  generation.  Tho  coat, 
uliic'li  doi's  not  button,  but  is  liauled  on  over 
the  liead,  has  a  hirgo  capucliin,  in  Eskimo  lan- 
guage "  amook,"  at  tho  back  of  tho  neck.  Tho 
only  difference  between  tho  coats  of  the  men 
and  the  women  lies  in  the  Latter  being  graced 
with  a  tail,  both  "  foro  and  aft  "  so  to  speak, 
upon  which  the  feminine  fondness  for  ornamen- 
tation is  indulged  to  tho  full  extent  of  the  wear- 
er's means;  so  that  they  may  bo  seen  adorned 
with  numerous  rows  of  beads  and  bits  of  brass 
or  copper,  such  tilings  as  the  works  of  a  clock, 
for  instance,  not  being  despised.  A  very  popu- 
lar form  of  decoration  consists  of  tablespoons, 
which  they  break  in  two,  and  arrange  in  various 
devices,  grouping  the  handles  in  one  place  and 
the  bowls  in  another. 

In  the  summer  each  family  has  its  own  home, 
but  in  winter  two  or  more  families  live  together 
for  the  sake  of  increased  warmth  and  economy 


■jir     jj 
ill  1 


178 


THE  liOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


of  fuel.  Tlie  suiniiicr  residence  is  a  lent  niiicle 
of  sealskins  with  the  liair  scraped  off,  giving 
much  the  aj)pearance  of  yellowish  })archnient, 
which  is  stretched  over  2)oles  of  driftwood  ar- 
ranged in  the  ordinary  cone-shape.  Tlie  door  is 
always  toward  the  water  beside  whicli  they  are 
camped ;  and  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  tent  is 
the  bed,  composed  of  moss  covered  with  sealskin. 
As  they  sleep  with  head  pointing  doorward,  they 
necessarily  lie  down-hill,  owing  to  the  natural 
slope  of  the  land  toward  the  shore.  This  does 
not  seem  either  a  comfortable  or  iK;altliy  posi- 
tion, but  apparently  they  are  none  the  worse  for 
it.  On  either  side  of  the  doorway  is  their  larder, 
consisting  of  exceedingly  repulsive-looking  piles 
of  seal  meat  and  blubber,  wliich  give  forth  an 
odor  that  Samson  himself,  with  his  hair  at  its 
longest,  could  hardly  wrestle  with  successfully, 
so  overwhelming  is  its  strength. 

The  winter  habitations  are  made  entirely  of 
snow,  and  are  generally  built  under  the  shelter- 
ing lee  of  a  rock,  in  the  drift  that  accumulates 
there.  The  builders  begin  by  marking  out  a 
circle  on  the  snow  about  fifteen  feet  in  diameter, 
whicli  represents  the  inner  side  of  the  walls,  and 
with  a  saw  or  long-blade d  knife  they  cut  out 


it  made 

giving 

uhnient, 

t^ood  ar- 
j  door  is 
tliey  arc 
e  tent  is 
sealskin, 
[ird,  tliey 
i  natural 
:iiis  does 
tliy  posi- 
worse  for 
iir  larder, 
ing  piles 
forth  an 
ir  at  its 
essfully, 

itirely  of 
le  slielter- 
[umulates 
In  ST  out  a 
diameter, 
Jvalls,  and 
cut  out 


TUE  MKDlTEnUANEAN  OF  CANADA.      179 

blocks  of  snow  fiom  tlirec  to  six  feet  long  and  a 
foot  thick  and  liigli,  from  inside  tlie  circle  they 
have  marked ;  then,  placing  tlie  blocks  around 
the  circle,  they  carry  tlie  walls  up  spirally  (not 
in  tiers),  until  they  meet  in  a  keystone  above, 
at  a  distance  of  about  nine  feet  from  the  exca- 
vated level  of  tlie  floor.  The  result  is,  except,  of 
course,  as  to  colo",  the  production  of  a  gigantic 
beehive,  over  the  door  or  in  the  centre  of  the 
roof  of  which  is  set  a  big  block  of  fresh  water 
ice  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a  window  in  lighting 
an  interior  that,  although  stainless  white  at  first, 
is  soon  blackened  by  the  ever-smoking,  evil- 
smelling  lamps  the  inmates  use. 

The  furniture  of  these  human  hives  is  very 
simple,  as  may  be  readily  supposed.  It  consists 
of  a  bedplace  or  divan  along  the  side  of  the 
"  igloo  "  opposite  the  door,  and  two  fireplaces, 
one  on  either  hand  as  you  enter.  These  are 
made  of  firmly  packed  snow,  and  raised  about 
three  feet  above  the  floor,  the  divan  liaving  its 
outer  edge  faced  with  a  pole  to  prevent  it  from 
crumbling  away  when  used  as  a  seat  in  the  day- 
time. The  beds  are  made  up  in  the  following 
manner:  first  a  layer  of  moss  spread  over  the 
snow;   next  a  layer  of  sealskin;   then  a  layer 


i 


ISO 


TUK  UOMAyCE  OF  COMMKUCE. 


of  l)(':ii-  or  (leorskiii ;  and  finally  the  sleeping;' 
haj^s,  wliicli  resemble  exaggerated  pillow-slips, 
only  tliat  fur  takes  the  place  of  linen,  and  the 
fur  is  double,  so  that  there  may  be  liair  both 
inside  and  outside.  Into  these  bags,  of  which 
each  adult  ha,,  one,  the  Eskimo,  stripped  to  tlie 
bare  ])uf'f',  creeps  for  the  night,  and  sleeps  very 
comfortably.  Up  to  the  age  of  ten  the  chil- 
dren share  their  parents'  bag  ;  after  that  they 
are  promoted  to  having  one  of  their  own. 

Their  fires  are  nothing  more  than  lamps 
rndely  fashioned  out  of  soapstone,  and  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  be  self-supplying,  a  mass  of  blub- 
ber being  hnng  in  sucli  close  })roximity  to  the 
flame  that  the  fat  is  converted  into  oil,  which, 
dripping  into  the  bowl  below,  is  consumed  by 
means  of  a  moss  wick.  As  the  lamp  has  no 
chinniev,  and  both  oil  and  wiek  are  of  the 
poorest,  the  result  is  the  reverse  of  brilliant, 
neither  lio-ht  nor  heat  beincf  obtained  in  what 
we  should  consider  a  satisfactory  quantity.  Just 
above  the  lamps  a  sealskin  is  stretched  to  pre- 
vent the  heat  thawing  the  roof  away,  a  precau- 
tion that  seems  scarcely  necessary,  seeing  that 
the  ordinary  temperature  of  these  snow  huts  is 
twenty-seven  degrees  at  the  roof,  and  twenty- 


THE  MEDITFAtUANEAN  OF  CANADA.      181 


-slips, 

id  the 

•  both 

^vhich 

to  the 

s  very 

3   chil- 

,t  they 

n. 

lamps 
so  ar- 

f  blub- 
to  the 
which, 

ned  by 

has  no 
of   the 
illiant, 
1  what 
Just 
to  pre- 
)recau- 
{Cf  that 
Ihuts  is 
[iwenty- 


four  degrees  at  the  level  of  tlie  l)(3ds,  —  in  other 
words,  from  five  to  eight  degrees  below  freez- 
ing point.  Pray  pause  for  a  moment,  good 
people,  as  you  read  this  by  cosey  firesides,  or 
in  register-heated  chambers  where  the  ther- 
mometer keeps  comfortably  near  the  seventies, 
and  try  to  realize  what  it  means.  What  sort 
of  a  time  would  you  have  with  the  air  chilled 
to  ten  degrees  below  zero  outside,  and  warmed 
to  only  twenty -five  above  inside  ?  Verily,  one- 
half  the  world  does  not  know,  and  indeed  can 
hardly  understand,  how  the  other  half  lives. 

In  order  to  keep  out  as  much  cold  as  possi- 
ble, the  doorways  are  very  low  and  very  nar- 
row, —  a  fact  which  explains  the  curious  phrase 
with  which  the  hosts  speed  their  parting  guest, 
namely :  "  Tabourke  aperniak  in  atit,"  that  is, 
"  Good-by,  don't  bump  your  head." 

Next  to  his  children  the  most  important  mem- 
bers of  an  Eskimo's  household  are  his  dogs, 
they  being  essential  to  his  hunting  in  summer 
and  travelling  in  winter.  They  are  very  wild, 
wolfish  animals,  only  half  domesticated,  and 
possessing  marvellous  digestive  powers.  A  pup 
that  Mr.  Ashe  was  rearing,  being  left  to  amuse 
himself  in  the  house  one  day,  did  so  very  ef- 


nil  ) 


IP 


'••^mmmmmmim 


182 


Tiri'J  nOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


iff. 


fectiuiUy  l)y  devouring  stockings,  gloves,  the 
greater  part  of  a  toji-boot,  and  many  smaller 
articles  of  a  similar  nature,  none  of  which  ap- 
parently disagreed  with  him.  In  travelling,  the 
dogs  are  harnessed  to  the  sledges  by  traces  of 
white  whale-skin,  the  oldest  and  most  trust- 
worthy on  the  lead,  the  others  in  pairs  on  either 
side  of  his  line,  —  a  dozen  constituting  a  full 
team,  and  the  whole  being  controlled  by  a 
driver  who  runs  beside  them,  wielding  a  whip 
with  a  lash  thirty  feet  long,  which,  in  his  hands, 
can  with  unfailing  accuracy  take  a  tuft  of  hair 
out  of  the  most  distant  dog.  Where  there  is 
no  beaten  track,  some  one  must  precede  the  dogs 
to  show  them  the  way ;  but  on  a  well-defined 
route  they  will  trot  along  merrily  by  themselves 
at  the  rate  of  five  or  six  miles  an  hour. 

Often  when  a  pause  is  made  for  a  rest,  or 
to  ice  the  runners  of  the  sledge,  a  discussion 
will  arise  amoncj  the  dojjs  as  to  whether  all 
are  pulling  their  fair  share.  From  barks  they 
soon  come  to  bites ;  and  a  scrimmage  ensues, 
which  would  cast  the  liveliest  corner  of  Donny- 
brook  Fair  into  the  shade.  The  dancing  driver 
with  his  cracking  whip,  the  snarling,  struggling 
dogs  entangled  in  their   traces,  and  the  over- 


C;  1 


1,  llie 
ivciller 
;li  ap- 
g,  the 
ces  of 
trust- 
either 
a  full 
by   a 
a,  whip 
hands, 
of  hair 
here  is 
be  dogs 
defined 
nselves 

rest,  or 
cussion 
her  all 
s  they 
ensues, 
Donny- 
driver 

bggling 
le  over- 


TUE  MEDITERRANEAN  OF  CANADA.      183 

turned  sled,  combine  to  make  up  a  scene  that 
defies  description. 

The  Eskimos  are  very  good  to  their  dogs, 
sharing  their  last  bite  with  them  when  food 
is  scarce.  So  fond  arc  they  of  them  too,  that 
it  is  exceedingly  diificiilt  to  purchase  a  good 
team.  The  Iliulson's  Buy  Company  employees 
find  these  dogs  very  useful  in  their  work,  and 
there  are  large  packs  of  tliem  at  every  fort. 
They  are  famous  fish-caters ;  and  great  are  the 
rejoicings  in  dog-town  wlien  a  catch  of  por- 
poises or  white  whales  is  effected,  for  then 
they  may  gorge  themselves  to  tlieir  heart's 
content  upon  the  rich  and  juicy  meat  of  the 
marine  monsters. 

The  Eskimo  language  is  very  soft  and  j)leas- 
ing  to  the  ear,  but  difficult  to  acquire,  princi- 
pally because  of  the  peculiar  use  of  the  accent, 
and  the  difference  a  wrong  placing  of  it  makes, 
as  a  word  incorrectly  pronounced  seems  to 
be  quite  unintelligible.  jNIr.  Ashe's  first  at- 
temj^ts  at  conversation  were  so  conspicuously 
unsuccessful  that  he  was  much  discouraged. 
For  instance,  he  said  one  day  to  a  young 
neiglibor,  "  Ibbe  micky  tiddleman  picaniminy 
petuang-a-too,"  meaning  thereby  to  remark  in 


ff  rw- 

W  !■■  itil' 

j|i( 

i 

III 

1 

M 

'•     1 

M 

' 

I             B   : 

' 

1    ■  nl  ''' 

1 9 

'  ill 

iJj 

! 

i 

1 
1 

1' 

II:  '■  I 


184 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


a  friendly  way,  "  Your  dog  had  five  puppies, 
they  are  dead,"  but  in  reality  testing  his  visi- 
tor's self-control  by  the  offensive  assertion, 
'*•  You  are  a  dog.  You  have  not  five  children." 
Although  known  to  the  world  as  Eskimos,  or 
Esquimaux,  these  dwellers  in  the  far  north  call 
themselves  "  Innuit,"  which  means  "  the  peo- 
ple," as  if  they  were  the  only  people  in  the 
world.  The  generally  accepted  derivation  of 
the  term  Eskimo  is  from  the  Indian  word, 
"  Eskimautsic,"  signifying  "  eaters  of  raw 
meat ;  "  but  Mr.  Ashe  suggests  another  deriva- 
tion that  is  at  least  very  plausible  and  worthy 
of  notice.  The  whaler  of  to-day  calls  the 
Eskimos  "  Huskies,"  a  word  that  is  not  far 
removed  from  "  Ilusickie,"  and  that  again  from 
"  Isickie,"  Avhich  is  the  Innuit  word  for  a  male. 
Now,  what  seems  more  probable  than  that  the 
earliest  visitors  to  those  icy  regions,  in  seeking 
information  as  to  what  the  inhabitants  called 
themselves,  were  understood  as  wanting  to 
know  whether  they  were  males  or  females,  and 
receiving  the  reply,  "  Isickie,' '  have  turned  it 
into  Eskimo  before  handing  it  down  to  us? 
The  Eskimos  call  their  white  visitors,  whom 
they  are  always  glad  to  see,  "  Kedloonah,"  that 


THE  MEDITEllUANEAN  OF  CANADA.      185 


is,  the  "  crested  people ;  "  they  .it  first  suppos- 
ing thiit  the  hilts  worn  hy  them  were  part  of 
their  pliysical  constitution. 

In  reference  to  their  religious  beliefs  and 
superstitions,  the  Eskimos  are  remarkably  reti- 
cent ;  for  the  reason,  probably,  that  their  inter- 
course lias  chiefly  been  with  rough,  rude  sailors, 
and  they  are  afraid  of  having  their  cherished 
ceremonies  made  tlie  butt  of  the  white  man's 
ridicule. 

As  regards  matrimonial  matters,  they  gen- 
erally have  but  one  wife,  and  never  more  than 
two  at  the  same  time.  No  formal  preliminaries 
in  the  way  of  a  marriage  service  seem  to  be 
presented.  When  a  couple  come  to  the  same 
way  of  thinking,  the  man  takes  the  woman  from 
her  home,  sometimes  even  without  asking  her 
parents'  consent,  and  installs  her  into  his  own 
igloo  as  the  fire-tender  and  "  slavey  "  thereof. 
Usually  the  relation  is  a  happy  one.  Sometimes, 
however,  incompatibility  of  temper  reveals  it- 
self; and  then  the  uncongenial  wife  is  returned 
to  her  former  home,  having  been  taken  only 
"  on  approval,"  and  no  formal  divorce  being 
required,  which  shows  that  in  this  one  respect, 
at  least,  the  otherwise   slow-going   North  has 


18G 


THE  nOMANCK  OF  COMMERCE. 


advanced     further    even    than     Chicago    her- 
self. 

Eskimo  parents  are  not  apt  to  he  overburdened 
"witli  children,  five  being  considered  a  large 
family.  This  is  due  to  the  lack  of  farinaceous 
food,  which  renders  it  necessary  to  postpone 
weaning  until  the  children  are  five  or  six  years 
old.  What  poor,  dear  Artemus  Ward  would  call 
"episodes"  are  quite  unknown  among  them; 
and  when  assured  that  triplets  or  even  quartets 
were  not  impossible  in  the  South,  their  admira- 
tion of  the  white  man  was  vastly  increased. 

The  dead  are  buried  in  the  snow  in  the  winter- 
time, and  among  the  rocks  in  the  summer ;  piles 
of  stones  being  heaped  upon  them  to  keep  off 
the  wolves  and  dogs.  With  the  male  dead,  they 
bury  a  knife  and  spear.  Before  the  era  of  guns, 
they  buried  also  a  bow  and  arrow ;  but  when 
these  became  obsolete,  they  did  not  put  a  gun 
in  their  place,  arguing  soundly  enough  that  he 
must  be  a  poor  hunter  indeed  who  cannot  get 
all  the  game  he  needs  in  the  happy  hunting- 
grounds  with  a  knife  and  spear  as  his  only 
weapons.  It  would  appear  as  if  there  were  ad- 
vanced thinkers,  moreover,  who  hold  that  even 
the  knife  and  spear  are  not  necessary  in  a  land 


.ii;i. 


TUE  MEDITERRANEAN  OF  CANADA.      187 


of  such  unlimited  plenty,  and  who  accordingly 
deprive  the  dead  man  of  both,  for  it  is  very 
rarely  that  graves  are  found  still  containing 
these  articles.  With  the  women  they  bury 
nothing,  holding  that  somebody  will  hunt  game 
for  them  in  the  next  world  just  as  they  have 
done  in  t^  is. 

The  Eskimo  pantheon  is  pretty  well  occupied, 
there  being  gods  to  preside  over  the  different 
natural  phenomena,  such  as  the  rain,  snow,  ice, 
tides,  {ind  so  forth,  and  others  controlling  human 
destiny  in  the  chase,  at  home,  and  elsewhere. 
Their  explanation  of  the  tides  is  very  naive. 
The  genius  of  the  waters,  it  seems,  wishing  to 
cross  the  straits  dryshod,  caused  the  water  that 
filled  them  to  heap  itself  up  at  one  side,  and 
then  when  it  had  passed  over  to  fall  back  into 
its  place  again,  which  it  did  with  such  momen- 
tum as  to  go  on  oscillating  to  and  fro  ever  since. 
They  have  no  lack  of  priests,  and  under  their 
direction  make  various  offerings  to  propitiate 
the  deities,  particularly  when  the  season  is  bad 
and  seals  are  scarce. 

Their  social  customs  are  full  of  interest  and 
individuality.  Their  w^ay  of  eating,  for  in- 
stance, is  decidedly  peculiar.     Cutting  a  long 


i     < 


188 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMEIWE. 


strip  of  gory,  greasy  ineiit  from  tho  mass  before 
him,  the  Eskimo  gourmand  takes  one  end  of  it 
in  his  mouth,  and  then  pulling  at  the  other 
until  it  is  strained  tiglit,  with  a  quiek  slash  of 
the  knife  past  his  mouth  and  nose,  he  severs  a 
mouthful  and  swallows  it  without  mastication, 
repeating  tlie  operation  rapidly  until  the  limit 
of  his  storage  capacity  is  reached.  A  civilized 
spectator  watching  an  Eskimo  family  at  dinner 
cannot  fail  to  be  struck  with  the  wisdom  of 
Providence  in  giving  these  people  such  short 
noses,  as,  were  the  features  any  longer,  they 
would  infallibly  suffer  early  abbreviation. 

In  the  matter  of  amusements  the  Eskimos  are 
not  badly  off.  They  have  a  form  of  cup-and- 
ball;  the  ball  being  a  block  of  ivory  pierced 
with  holes  at  different  angles,  into  one  of  which 
th6  players  strive  to  insert  an  ivory  peg  as  the 
block  falls,  tlio  position  of  the  hole  determin- 
ing the  value  of  the  stroke.  Another  game 
closely  resembles  dominoes,  and  contains  pieces 
running  as  high  as  "  double-thirties  ; "  but  the 
sequences  are  not  regularly  carried  out,  the 
breaks  in  them  seeming  to  be  without  system. 
When  they  can  borrow  or  purchase  a  pack  of 
cards,  they  will  play  euchre  and  high-low-jack 


.ll'Tl 


THE  MEDJTEIUlANEAN  OF  CANADA.      ISO 


witli  considerable  skill;  and  they  also  enjoy 
draughts,  having  learned  these  games  from  tlio 
whalers.  Tliey  have  a  game  exaetly  like  soli- 
taire, with  the  exception  that  ivory  pegs  take 
the  place  of  glass  balls.  The  special  amuse- 
ment of  the  women  is  a  species  of  "eat's-cradle," 
which  has  been  brought  to  sueh  perfection  tliat 
they  develop  from  twenty  to  thirty  different 
figures  in*  it.  Indeed,  they  are  extremely 
clever  in  performing  tricks  with  string,  winding 
and  twisting  a  piece  in  and  out  among  their 
fingers,  and  then  disentangling  it  by  a  single 
pull  on  one  end. 

Such  are  some  of  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  quaint,  harmless,  and  —  despite  their  dirt  — 
lovable  people  whose  home  is  among  the 
dreary  regions  to  the  north  and  south  of  Hud- 
son's Strait.  They  have  many  admirable  traits 
of  character.  They  are  wonderfully  patient 
and  enduring  in  times  of  trial  and  suffering ; 
honest  and  intelligent  to  an  unlooked-for  de- 
gree; perfectly  fearless  in  the  chase,  yet  so 
peace-loving  in  their  disposition  that  quarrels 
are  almost  unknown ;  hospitable,  docile,  keenly 
appreciative  of  kindness,  and  ready  to  share 
their  last  bite  with  their  white  visitors  ;  willing 


!:i.l 


100 


77//';  n().)fAX(:i':  of  commeik^e. 


to  work  wlicn  opj)()rtiiMity  offers,  and  oontont 
\\\i\\  siniill  icimiiicraliou.  So  inaiiy  good  points 
have  tlu'y,  indeed,  that  thi;  sad  certainty  of 
their  giiuhial  extermination  is  rendered  all  the 
sadder  tliereby.  The  most  careful  estimate  of 
their  nundiers  in  the  Hudson's  Strait  region  at 
present  is  1,500;  hut  this,  of  course,  is  only  an 
approximation,  as  tlunr  own  system  of  counting, 
which  generally  runs  "'one,  two,  three,  a  great 
many,"  renders  anything  like  an  accurate  census 
impossible.  Each  year  finds  their  food-supply 
diminishing,  —  thanks  mainly  to  the  enterprise 
of  the  whalers  and  sealers.  As  the  nund)er  of 
the  seals  decrease,  the  number  of  the  Eskimos 
must  decrease  also ;  and  the  end,  though  it  may 
be  long  delayed,  seems  inevitable. 

Although  the  region  inhabited  (if  that  term 
can  be  rightly  applied  to  tiny  settlements  scat- 
tered at  vast  intervals  over  boundless  wastes) 
by  the  Eskimos  is  utterly  worthless  for  agri- 
cultural purposes,  the  waters  it  surrounds  con- 
tain sources  of  wealth,  which,  strange  to  say, 
liave  hitherto  been  monopolized  by  the  Dundee 
and  New  Bedford  whalers,  just  as  the  fur- 
trade  has  been  monopolized  by  the  English 
Hudson's   Bay    Company ;    the    Canadians,  to 


77//«;  Mi':i)iTi:itiiA\i':.\.\  or  cwada.    101 


wlioin  tlu;  n'f^ion  luiloii^rs,  (l('iivii:<^  si'.ii'i'{.'ly  any 
lu'iuMit  I'lom  it  whiiUiVLT.  Konni'ily  the  wlialo 
lisliciius  of  tliu  l);iy  wvia  (!XtrtMiK'ly  viiluiil)lo; 
but  of  liilu  yt'iiis  lliis  luviatliiin  lias  so  hir^'cly 
decreased  in  numbers  as  to  render  his  ehaso 
precariously  profitable,  and  his  extinction  an 
early  possibility. 

From  a  table  prepared  by  Dr.  lioas,  it  ap- 
pears that  between  18415  and  iHTo  inclusive, 
tlie  United  States  sent  113  vessels  to  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  whale-lislniiL,',  and  that  they  obtained 
1,020  bari'cls  of  sperm,  50,011)  barrels  of  whale- 
oil,  and  nearly  a  million  pounds  of  whalebone, 
which,  considering  that  the  average  size  of 
the  ship  is  only  240  tons,  makes  it  clear  tliat 
there  has  been  a  handsome  margin  of  profit. 
The  right  whale,  which  in  consequence  of  high 
price  of  whalebone,  viz.,  about  i$12,000  a  ton,  is 
by  far  the  richest  prize  a  whaler  can  capture, 
attains  a  size  of  from  fifty  to  eighty  feet.  It 
was  once  readily  found  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  bay,  but  is  now  rarely  seen,  and  the  pur- 
suers have  to  go  farther  and  farther  north 
every  year.  The  wdute  whale,  on  the  other 
hand,  still  abounds  at  the  York,  Nelson,  and 
Churchill   rivers.     They  go  up  with  the  tide 


1 


■■.'it  J 


■nil  i 
:4\ 


II 


192 


rriE  IWMANCK  OF  COMMERCE. 


every  clay  in  great  iiuinbeis,  and  seem  quite 
tame,  bobbing  up  serenely  and  blowing  witliin 
twenty  feet  of  the  boats.  They  are  caught 
in  nets,  aiul  also  by  rows  of  stakes  driven  into 
the  mud,  and  taken  to  the  forts,  where,  they 
are  flenched,  the  blubber  tried  out,  the  skins 
cured,  the  carcass  put  by  for  the  food  of  the 
dogs  in  winter.  As  these  whales  average 
about  forty  gallons  of  oil  each,  and  their  skins 
are  valuable,  they  are  worth  from  twenty  to 
thirty  dollars  apiece.  Tlie  narwhal,  or  uni- 
corn, and  the  walrus,  still  exist  in  consider- 
able numbers,  and  well  repay  the  trouble  of 
hunting  them ;  Avhile  the  seal,  it  need  hardly  be 
said,  swarms  upon  the  ice  in  countless  num- 
bers during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  and 
to  a  large  extent  constitutes  the  Eskimo's  com- 
missariat. Of  smaller  fishes,  the  salmon  is 
the  only  one  having  commercial  value.  It  is 
caught  in  large  quantities  by  the  Company, 
and  sent  to  England  fresh  in  a  refrigerator 
ship  specially  built  for  the  trade. 

There  are  not  many  species  of  land  animals, 
the  polar  bear,  wolf,  wolverine,  arctic  fox,  rein- 
deer, polar  hare,  and  lemming  being  the  prin- 
cipal ones.     They  are  all  fairly  numerous  still, 


^\ 


1  (^uite 
within 
caught 
^en  into 
•e,  they 
e  skins 
of  the 
average 
iir  skins 
'enty  to 
or  uni- 
3onsider- 
ouble  of 
uirdly  be 
!ss  num- 
car,  and 
o's  com- 
Imon   is 
le.     It  is 
ompany, 
Irigerator 

animals, 
[ox,  rein- 
^he  prin- 
)us  still, 


TJIE  MKDJTKllllAyEAN   OF  CANADA.      193 

but  tlieir  ranks  are  niidoubtedly  thinning,  as 
the  demands  of  tlie  fur-trade  increase  ;  and 
some  day  or  other  they  will  be  so  scarce  as 
to  render  the  business  of  catcliing  them  no 
longer  remunerative.  Indeed,  as  it  is  now, 
no  matter  how  hospitable,  genial,  or  talkative 
an  oHicial  at  one  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany's forts  may  be,  under  no  circumstance 
can  he  be  seduced  into  the  admission  that  his 
post  is  run  at  a  profit  to  the  company  ;  accord- 
ing to  him  it  is  kept  up  just  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Indians  and  Eskimos;  in  other  words, 
for  philanthropic  rather  than  for  commercial 
purposes.  Accordingly,  if  tliis  showing  be 
true,  the  end  of  the  fur-trade  is  already  within 
sight. 

But  it  is  not  because  of  its  human  inhabi- 
tants, nor  of  its  quarries  for  the  liunter  on  land 
or  sea,  that  the  Hudson's  Bay  region  has  special 
interest  for  us  to-day.  We  might  be  content 
to  leave  it  to  the  chill  obscurity  which  has  been 
so  long  its  lot  were  it  not  that,  as  already 
indicated,  the  central  part  of  Canada  and  the 
north-west  of  the  United  States  are  asking 
whether  it  does  not  aitord  a  solution  of  the 
problem  how  to  secure  for  their  products  the 


ff 


104 


THE  noMAyci:  of  commehce. 


cheapest  and  most  expeditions  road  to  tlie  best 
markets.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  make  clear  that  the  shortest  possible 
route  between  the  regions  referred  to  and 
Europe  lies  through  Hudson's  Bay.  Careful 
calculations  have  shown  that  the  city  of  Win- 
nipeg, for  instance,  is  at  least  eight  hundred 
miles  nearer  Liverpool  by  the  Hudson's  Bay 
route  than  by  the  St.  Lawrence;  and  the  differ- 
ence in  favor  of  the  former  increases,  of  course, 
the  farther  you  advance  north-westward.  If, 
as  has  been  pointed  out,  you  take  the  central 
point  of  the  agricultural  lands  of  the  Cana- 
dian North-west,  you  will  find  that  the  distance 
from  it  to  Winnipeg  is  about  the  same  as  to 
Churchill,  the  linCvit  harbor  of  the  bay.  Now, 
the  distance  between  Churchill  and  Liverpool  is 
a  little  less  (about  sixty -four  miles)  than  it 
is  between  IMontreal  and  that  great  entrepot 
of  commerce.  The  conclusion  consequently  is, 
that  between  the  said  central  point  and  Liver- 
pool there  is,  by  the  use  of  the  Hudson's  Bay, 
a  saving  of  the  whole  distance  from  Winnipeg 
to  Montreal,  which  means  in  miles  no  less  than 
1,291  via  Lake  Superior  and  1,698  via  Chicago. 
Seeing  how  ardent,  energetic,  and   hopeful 


THE  MEBITEJiTlANEAN  OF  CANADA.      195 


the  Manitobans  have  been  in  this  matter,  it 
is  not  a  little  disappointing  to  fuul  that  such 
competent  authorities  as  Lieutenant  Gordon 
and  Mr.  Ashe  are  by  no  means  sanguine  as  to 
the  success  of  the  route.  The  latter  has  pointed 
out  that  apart  from  the  ice  question,  which  is 
quite  serious  enough  in  itself,  there  are  other 
difficulties  which  have  to  be  reckoned  with; 
such  as  the  dangers  attendant  upon  a  passage 
along  an  unknown,  unlighted  coast-line,  with 
few  harbors  of  refuge,  and  very  little  room 
to  ride  out  a  gale ;  extreme  depths  of  water, 
one  hundred  fathoms  being  often  found  right 
up  to  the  shore,  with  generally  very  defective 
holding-ground  where  the  depths  are  more  mod- 
erate. In  foul  weather,  no  sounding  being  pos- 
sible that  would  be  of  value,  a  vessel  would 
receive  no  warning  of  her  proximity  to  the 
coast  until  it  was  perhaps  too  late  to  save 
her  from  destruction.  Furthermore,  it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  the  proximity  of  the 
straits  to  the  magnetic  pole  renders  the  ordi- 
nary compass  perfectly  useless,  and  even  the 
Thompson  compass  becomes  liable  to  aberra- 
tion if  there  are  any  disturbing  elements  on 
shipboard. 


'  :l 


i 


pSf 


'.'     ■! 


19() 


Tiria  JiOMANCE  OF  C()MMi:iiCK. 


Tlio  most  serious  ol)jectiou  of  all,  liowcver, 
to  the  Hudson's  Bay  route  is  the  ice  that  fills 
these  waters  with  its  destructive  floes  and  hergs. 
No  ordinary  steamer  could  safely  venture  into 
its  midst.  The  bow  must  be  armored,  and  the 
whole  frame  strengthened,  to  withstand  the  rude 
buffeting  that  is  so  inevitable.  All  this,  of 
course,  means  increased  cost  and  decreased  car- 
rying capacity;  and  even  then  the  lesson  of 
the  three  expeditions  would  seem  to  be  that 
the  period  of  navigation  for  such  a  vessel  is 
from  the  15th  of  July  to  the  15th  of  October, 
with  a  possibility  of  navigation  fi'om  the  1st 
of  July  to  the  1st  of  November.  Whether  a 
railroad  system  eight  hundred  miles  in  length, 
and  a  fleet  of  steamships  of  a  very  costly  kind, 
can  be  employed  with  profit  where  the  season 
for  transportation  is  not  more  than  three  or 
at  the  most  four  months  in  duration,  consti- 
tutes the  problem  upon  the  solution  of  which 
depends  the  future  of  the  inland  ocean  of  the 
north. 


■'mm': 


FROM  FOREST  TO  FLOOR. 


197 


wever, 
at  fills 
.  bergs, 
re  into 
nd  the 
le  rude 
bis,   of 
>od  car- 
;sou   of 
t)e  tbat 
essel  is 
October, 
the  1st 
ether  a 
length, 
y  kind, 
season 
iree  or 
consti- 
which 
of  the 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FROM   FOREST  TO  FLOOR. 

Among  all  the  materials  wherewith  men 
erect  unto  themselves  splendid  edifices  to  dwell 
in,  stately  ships  to  voyage  by,  or  far-s2)reading 
iron  roads  to  travel  upon,  none  have  a  fairer, 
brighter  history  than  tlie  wood.  Stone  is  blasted 
from  hideous  ddbris-strewn  chasms,  in  and 
out  whose  craggy  recesses  quarrymen  labor 
like  ants  in  some  gigantic  ant-heap;  metal  is 
torn  from  the  bowels  of  tlie  earth,  where, 
steeped  in  gloom  and  oppression  scarce  en- 
durable, the  grimy  miners  pursue  their  un- 
lovely toil ;  but  wood,  from  the  time  the  first 
stroke  of  the  lumberman's  fatal  axe  sends  a 
shiver  through  all  its  shapely  form  as  it  rears 
its  head  aloft  amidst  the  forest,  until,  when 
sundered  into  yellow  planks,  it  awaits  the 
joiner's  will,  is  hardly  for  an  hour  away  from 
the  glow  of  sunshine,  the  ripple  of  water,  or 
the  virgin  purity  of  the  snow.  As  bright  and 
clean  as  the  fresh-sawn  boards  themselves  is  the 


*    i 


.1     I 


198 


THE  nOMANCE  OF  COMMEIiCE. 


record  iluit  lies  l)eluii(l  tliem ;  iiud  in  follow- 
ing llicni  from  forest  to  floor,  we  liavo  before 
us  one  of  the  most  romantic,  fiiscinjitincf,  and 


ily  occvi})ation 


diich    the    children   of 


man] 

men  can  onofaofc. 

The  chief  centre  of  the  Inmbcring  interest 
in  Canada  is  the  city  of  Ottawa,  whicli,  as  it 
happens,  is  also  the  political  capital,  —  a  con- 
jnnction  that  gave  Goldwin  Smith  a  chance 
for  the  exercise  of  his  brilliant  wit  too  tempt- 
ing to  be  withstood ;  and  so  we  liave  his 
clever  but  cruelly  unjust  epigram  about  Ot- 
tawa being  "an  arctic  lumber-village  turned 
into  a  political  cock-pit ; "  to  which  we  trust 
it  may  be  deemed  but  a  venial  offence  to  add, 
that,  viewed  in  either  light,  there  certainly 
would  seem  to  be  a  considerable  amount  of 
"  logf-rollinof "  done  there. 

It  will  accordingly  serve  our  purpose  very 
well,  if,  selecting  the  Canadian  capital  as  our 
coigne  of  vantage,  we  proceed  from  thence  to 
make  as  full  a  survey  of  the  Avhole  business 
of  lumbering  as  may  be  managed  within  the 
limits  of  a  single  chapter. 

In  the  matter  of  facilities  for  the  carrying 
on  of  this  important  industry,  Ottawa   would 


FliOM   FOREST   TO   FLOOli. 


190 


be  un.quo  upon  tlio  continent,  weio  it  not  for 


M 


iiineaj 


.ol 


)OllS. 


As    it    is,    slio    has    in    the    tro- 


mentlons  torrent  tliat  ponrs  Inniultnonsly  over 
the  roaring  Chandiere,  an  even  mightier  power 
than  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony  ;  while  as  far  as 
comnumicatiou  "vvith    tlie   tiniher-liniils    by   rail 


(111 


all 


and  water  is  coneer 
events.  Bnt  at  the  falls  of  tlie  Chandiere  we 
reach  almost  the  final  stage  in  the  passage  of 
a  plank  from  forest  to  floor;  and  so,  in  order 
to  begin  at  the  beginning,  we  must  betake 
ourselves,  one,  two,  or  even  three  hundred  miles 
away  up  into  the  bosky  recesses  of  the  forest 
primeval,  where  the  mighty  trees  are  whis- 
pering together  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the 
fate  awaiting  them. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  by  one  who  pro- 
poses to  engage  in  the  business  of  lumbering 
is  to  secure  a  "  berth,"  or  ^'  limit ;  "  that  is,  an 
area  of  natural  standing  timber.  This  he  does 
either  directly  from  the  Government,  in  whom 
the  fee  of  almost  all  of  the  timber-producing 
districts  still  remains  ;  or  indirectly  from  some 
person  who  has  taken  up  limits  simply  for  spec- 
ulative purposes,  and  without  any  design  of 
cutting  over  them  himself.     Theoretically  each 


■<  '  .i 


200 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


M 


Mi, 


i  ■ 


i  l: 


limit  is  ten  miles  square;  but,  owing  to  the 
topographical  features  of  the  country,  they  are 
in  reality  of  all  sizes,  from  twenty-four  square 
miles  and  upward.  It  is  not  often  that  one 
wortliy  of  the  name  is  less  than  fifty  square 
miles  in  extent.  The  amount  of  territory  held 
under  lease  by  some  of  the  "  lumber  kings " 
of  the  Ottawa  district  is  so  immense  that  an 
ordinary  German  principality  would  sink  into 
insignificance  beside  these  vast  landed  posses- 
sions. 

Limits  having  been  secured,  the  next  step  is 
to  despatch  a  party  of  experienced  scouts, 
often  Indians  or  half-breeds,  to  examine  the 
country,  and  seek  out  the  best  groves  of  tim- 
ber. The  skill  of  these  self-taught  surveyors 
is  sometimes  very  remarkable.  They  will  ex- 
plore the  length  and  breadth  of  the  terra  in- 
cognita,  and  report  upon  the  kind  and  value 
of  its  timber,  the  situation  and  capabilities  of 
its  streams  for  floating  out  the  logs  Can  all- 
important  point),  and  the  facilities  for  hauling 
and  transportation.  They  often  sketch  the 
surface  of  the  country,  showing  the  positions 
of  its  streams  and  lakes,  its  groves  of  timber, 
and  its  mountainous  or  level  appearance,  with 


FROM  FOREST  TO  FLOOR. 


201 


a  skill  and  accuracy  little  short  of  marvel- 
lous. 

The  scene  of  operations  havin-r  with  the 
aid  of  these  scouts  been  finally  decided  upon, 
the  limit-holder  early  in  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember sends  his  gangs  of  men  into  the  woods, 
the  usual  number  in  a  gang  being  from  thirty 
to  forty,  including  foreman,  clerk,  carpenter, 
cook,  and  chore-boy.  This  number  is  about 
doubled,  however,  later  on,  when  the  teams 
come  in  to  haul  the  logs  that  have  been  cut, 
so  that  sixty  to  eighty  men  may  sometimes 
be  found  at  one  shanty.  The  foremen  rule 
the  gangs,  and  are  in  their  turn  subordinate 
to  the  "  bush-superintendents,"  who  drive  in 
all  weathers  from  gang  to  gang,  supervising 
their  work  and  checking  the  results.  On  ar- 
riving at  their  destination,  the  gang  proceed 
immediately  to  build  their  shanty. 

Nothing  could  be  more  primitive  than  the 
architecture,  or  better  adapted  to  its  purpose, 
than  the  construction  of  this  edifice,  which  is 
placed  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  midst  of  the 
"bunch"  of  timber  to  be  cut,  so  that  no  time 
may  be  lost  in  going  to  and  coming  from  work. 
With  all  hands  helping,  a  shanty  twenty-eight 


202 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


i's  ( 


'^^ 


■'i 


feet  hy  forty  can  1)0  i)iit  up  in  live  days,  ilie 
men  in  the  mcantinio  livinf^  in  tents.  TIio 
method  of  construction  is  as  follows :  Huge 
logs,  cleared  only  of  their  brandies,  are  piled 
one  upon  another  to  the  height  of  eight  feet. 
Great  wooden  girders  are  then  stretched  across, 
supported  in  the  middle  by  four  massive  pil- 
lars, called  "  scoop-bearers ; "  Jind  upon  these 
girders  hewn  timbers  resembling  elongated 
railway  ties,  hollowed  out  on  one  side  and 
designated  as  *' scoops,"  are  placed  with  convex 
and  concave  sides  up  alternatel}',  and  over- 
lapping each  other.  Thus  arranged,  they  con- 
stitute the  roof,  and  afford  perfect  protection 
from  the  lieaviest  of  fall  rains.  The  floor 
consists  of  a  single  layer  of  flattened  timbers ; 
and  then  all  that  remains  is  to  fill  in  every 
chink  with  moss  and  mud,  and  throw  up  a 
bank  all  round  the  outside,  and  your  shanty 
is  —  no,  not  complete,  after  all,  for  lo !  a  most 
important  part  of  it  has  been  overlooked,  to 
wit,  the  "  camboose,"  or  fireplace.  This  oc- 
cupies the  place  of  honor  in  the  centre  of  the 
room,  and  is  about  as  simple  an  affair  as  could 
well  be.  A  thick  bank  of  sand  and  stones  is 
laid  upon  the  floor  to  hold  the  fire,  while,  up 


FROM  FOJiKST   TO   FLOOR. 


2oa 


above,  a  largo  square  hole  is  cut  iu  tlio  roof, 
aud  topped  witli  a  rude  eliinni(!y,  the  wliolo 
arrangenieut  affordiug  perfect  draft  aud  veuti- 
latiou,  aud  a  fiue  view  of  the  stars  at  uiglit 
to  the  men  lyiug  ou  tlieir  buuks,  hut  (Uiuiaud- 
iufj  the  coustaut  uiahiteuaiice  of  a  liuire  luo 
iu  order  to  secure  couifort.  At  two  eoruers 
of  tlie  liearth  are  fixed  strong  wooden  cranes, 
which  the  cook  can  adjust  to  any  required  po- 
sition for  liis  vaiious  pots  and  boilers.  Along 
three  sides  of  the  room  run  sloping  platforms 
called  "bunks,"  on  which  the  tired  toilers  roll 
in  their  blankets  and  rest  after  the  day's  exer- 
tion, with  their  heads  turned  to  the  wall,  and 
feet  to  the  central  fire,  which  is  kept  well  sup- 
plied with  fuel  all  night. 

This  description  applies  to  a  shanty  of  the 
"good  old-fashioned  sort."  In  recent  years 
the  march  of  improvement  has  reached  even 
the  backwoods ;  and  such  luxuries  as  stoves, 
windows,  tables,  etc.,  have  found  their  way 
into  the  lumberman's  abode,  where,  it  need 
liardly  be  said,  they  are  cordially  welcomed. 

Shanties  for  men,  and  stables  for  horses, 
satisfactorily  completed,  the  campaign  against 
the  forest  giants  begins  forthwith.     The  thirty- 


r^^." 


:!    ■, 

'l!" 


204 


rilK  ROMANCE  OF  COMMKIiCE. 


'^; 


1 1 

!!>'■ 


')'l' 


five  men  arc  divided  up  into  sets  according  to 
the  nature  of  tlieir  work.  In  a  gang  of  tliat 
size,  there  will  probably  be  three  pairs  of  chop- 
pers, and  twice  as  many  cutters,  who  together 
with  the  teamsters,  sawyers,  chainers,  and  the 
home-guard  of  clerk,  cook,  and  so  forth,  make 
up  the  number.  The  work  of  tlio  road-cutters 
is  to  pre2)are  a  main  road  from  the  bunch  of 
timber  attacked  to  the  nearest  available  water, 
be  it  lake  or  stream  ;  also  smaller  roads  branch- 
ing out  from  this  according  as  the  choppers 
extend  their  operations.  Over  these  roads, 
which  are  sometimes  made  very  hard  and 
smooth  by  the  use  of  a  sprinkler,  the  teamsters 
transport  the  logs  from  the  roll  ways  upon 
which  they  have  been  piled,  and  drop  them 
beside  the  borders  of  the  stream  upon  the  icy 
bosom  of  the  lake,  there  to  await  the  coming 
of  the  spring. 

No  part  of  the  work  is  more  interesting  than 
that  which  devolves  upon  the  choppers.  The 
foreman  having  gone  ahead  and  marked  with  a 
"blaze  "  the  trees  ho  wishes  felled,  the  choppers 
set  to  work  in  pairs  (and  occasionally  in  trios) 
at  opposite  sides  of  the  trunk,  and,  handling 
their  heavy,  keen-edged  axes  as  though  they 


liHi^ll!. 


FliOM   F(H:i:sT   TO    FLOOli. 


20") 


were  mci'o  trifles,  clioj)  swiftly  into  thn  lioart 
of  their  liel[)less  vicliin.  Tlie  wliite  elii[)s  fly 
fast  and  tliick  as  tlie  axes  swin^-  steadily  to 
and  fro,  and  presently  tlu!  inn)  be<;ins  to 
tremble;  a  few  more  skilful  strokes,  a  warninj^ 
craek,  and  then  with  the  suddiMi  sweep  of  an 
eagle  the  huge  mass  eomes  erashing  down  to 
earth,  making  a  wide  swath  in  the  smaller  trees 
standing  unsuspectingly  around. 

Having  felled  their  tree,  the  clioppcrs  next 
trim  off  the  branches,  and  then,  with  cross-cut 
saws,  divide  it  into  lengths  of  thirteen  and  a 
half  or  sixteen  and  a  half  feet,  according  to  its 
quality.  Two,  three,  four,  or  even  five  logs 
may  be  got  out  of  a  single  tree ;  and  with  such 
rapidity  do  experienced  choppers  work,  that  on 
new  limits,  where  the  timber  is  thick  and  heavy, 
eighty  logs  is  not  an  out-of-the-way  day's  work 
for  a  pair;  while  when  "striving"  is  begun, — 
that  is,  one  pair  pitting  themselves  against 
another  pair,  —  it  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for 
six  hundred  logs  to  be  unexpectedly  turned  in 
as  the  handsome  result  of  a  single  week's  Avork, 
a  showing  that  even  so  redoubtable  a  woodsman 
as  the  ex-premier  of  England  might  well  envy. 
The  foreman  has  no  difficulty  in  checking  the 


I    ;  ,f 


;1 


mi 

1 1.;  « 


i    ■ 


,'i 


!    ! 


I?: 


200 


77//';  i:oMAy('K  of  ('ommi:v(i:. 


work,  jis  tlu'  lon^s  nro  dailv  piled  on  rollwavs, 
"wluMo  (lu'v  uwail  lliuir  liini  to  bo  IuiuUhI  to  the 
waterside. 

It  is  a  tine,  lu^iltliy,  lu^arty  life,  this  of  the 
liunbernian.  From  dawn  to  dark  lie  woi'ks  in 
the  open  air,  exercusin^  both  hiii^-s  and  nins- 
cles  to  the  utmost  extent  that  is  good  for  them. 
Onee  the  autumn  rains  arc  over,  and  the  snow 
lir ;  eome,  he  breathes  for  four  lonir  months 
the  elear,  eold  air  of  the  Canadian  winter, 
made  fracrrant  with  the  health-fifivlnsx  aroma  of 
the  pine  and  eedar.  No  matter  how  bibulous 
may  bo  his  tendeneies,  not  one  drop  ean  lie 
have  from  the  eup  that  inebriates,  although 
he  may,  and  does,  driidc  potations  long,  deep, 
and  unlimited  from  the  cup  that  cheers.  Ilis 
food  is  not  very  \aried  in  character,  nor  in  the 
style  of  its  cooking;  pork  and  beans,  beef,  bread, 
and  tea,  being  almost  the  invariable  items  of  his 
menu^  with  a  bit  of  game  now  and  then  as  a 
rare  treat.  But  there  is  plenty  of  it ;  and  the 
bread,  baked  in  pots  buried  deep  in  heated  sand, 
cannot  be  beaten  in  the  whole  country,  while  of 
that  sauce  which  surpasses  the  most  ci.nning 
concoction  of  Lazenby  or  Lea  &  Perrins,  —  to 
wit  (if  I  may  adapt  a  Falstaffian  expression), 


FROM    FOItKST   TO    FLOOl!. 


•207 


"a  divino  liunj^ur,"  —  wlio  Ims  a  iiioic^  uurailiiig 
supply  ll'nii  ilu;  ( *iiiia(li;iii  limihcMinan  ? 

Jlis  forest  lifo  is  iiol  \)y  any  means  all  work, 
cither.  With  the  early  dusk  of  wiiit(!r  his  toil 
ceases  for  the  <lay;  and  after  tools  are  put  away, 
ahlutions  ixnforined,  and  duo  justi(;e  done  to 
the  tea  and  l)r('ad  and  hacon,  there  is  a  long 
evening  to  l)e  sjxMit  in  song  and  dance  and 
stor}^  wlien,  aided  ])y  a  sini[)le  but  effective 
orchestra  of  fiddle,  concertina,  j(!\v's-harp,  and 
flute,  ho  can  make  the  low-roofed  slianty  ring 
with  whole-souled  merriment.  Then  Sunday 
brings  opportunity  for  rest,  and  also  for  mend- 
ing, darning,  patching,  or,  if  this  happily  be  all 
attended  to,  for  excursions  into  the  farther  for- 
est in  search  of  fortuitous  deer,  hare,  or  par- 
tridge, that  may  afford  a  welcome  change  in  the 
dyspeptic  monotony  of  pork  and  beans. 

Twenty-five  thousand  logs  will  be  a  good 
winter's  work  for  such  a  shanty  as  the  one 
I  have  been  describing ;  and  Avhen  the  warm 
spring  sunshine  comes,  unlocking  the  bars  and 
bolts  of  winter,  the  labor  of  the  lumberman 
enters  upon  its  most  exciting  and  perilous 
stage,  that  is,  the  "drive."  The  winter's  cut 
of  logs  having  be.en  piled  in  heaps  beside  the 


208 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


■  t 


III  I 


river-biuik  or  lake  margin,  or  liettcr  still  upon 
the  ice  itself,  when,  in  mid-April  the  Frost 
King's  rigid  ^.avisp  is  linally  relaxed,  they  go 
tumblin<jf  ijcll-mell  into  the  water  to  beain  their 

OX  o 

long  journey  uiill-ward.  And  now  it  is  the 
business  of  our  hardy,  fearless  toilers  to  follow 
this  great  fleet  of  cumbrous  tree-trunks  in  their 
devious  varied  course  by  brawling  mountain  tor- 
rent, s\>ifl-running  stream,  and  placid  lake,  as 
they  go  leaping  headlong  over  roaring  water- 
falls, or  shooting  like  arrows  through  the  slip- 
pery "slides,"  dislodging  those  that  fain  would 
tarry  by  the  way,  and  lifting  stranded  ones  into 
the  current  again,  u?>ti]  the  broad  bosom  of  the 
Ottawa  is  reached,  and  the  logs,  now  gathered 
into  "  booms,"  can  be  towed  by  powerful 
steamers  to  their  destination. 

Each  "river-driver,"  as  the  men  are  now 
called,  is  armed  with  either  a  long  pike-pole, 
a  "cant-dog,"  or  a  handspike;  and  in  flat- 
bottomed  boats,  yclept  "  bonnes,"  or  tramping 
along  shore,  they  keep  the  mighty  mass  in 
movement^  having  constantly  before  them  the 
danger  of  a  jam  ;  that  is,  the  logs  catching  in 
mid-stream  against  some  projecting  rock,  and 
piling   one   upon    another    until   a    barrier    is 


FROM  FOREST  TO  FLOOR. 


209 


formed  that  puts  a  veto  upon  all  farther  prog- 
ress. Then  comes  the  most  thrilling  experi- 
ence in  all  the  lumberman's  career.  The  jam 
must  be  broken  at  all  hazards,  and  witliout  a 
moment's  delay ;  for  the  longer  it  is  left,  the 
worse  it  becomes.  To  accomplisli  this,  the 
"key-piece,"  the  log  which  was  the  first  to 
stick  and  has  caused  all  the  tT-ouble,  must  be 
found  and  disengaged  —  if  ne oessary,  chopped 
to  pieces. 

The  precision  with  which  an  experienced 
river-driver  will  ascertain  the  key-piece  of  a 
jam  is  only  less  remarkable  than  the  skill  with 
which  he  will  escape  the  rush  of  the  suddenly 
liberated  logs.  Maintaining  his  balance  almost 
miraculously  upon  some  slippery  cylinder,  he 
will  with  strenuous  strokes  chop  the  oftending 
log  in  two,  or  drive  it  back  into  deep  water, 
and  then,  as  the  whole  mass  thus  set  free 
charges  madly  down  upon  him,  he  will  leap 
from  log  to  log  with  the  sure-footedness  of  a 
chamois,  until  safe  out  of  harm's  reach,  or  per- 
haps dive  headlong  into  mid-stream,  and  thus 
avoid  the  danger.  Dexterous  as  these  men 
are,  however,  not  a  season  passes  that  lives 
are  not  lost  in  these   perilous  ventures ;   and 


;!-■  ■ 


210 


THE  JIOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


"  'ill 


lit 


I;* 


:! 

[     -i  '■■  ■          "■ 

f 

J  '8  H 


i        -I 


Ii 


there  is  hardly  any  announcement  more  un- 
welcome to  the  lumberman's  ears  than  that 
one  of  the  dreaded  jams  is  forming. 

Once  the  logs  are  fairly  afloat  in  the  deep 
waters  of  the  Grand  River,  as  the  lumberman 
loves  to  call  the  Ottawa,  the  river-driver's  work 
is  at  an  end;  and  he  either  finds  employment 
at  the  mills,  or  idles  away  his  time  at  home 
until  the  approach  of  fall  again  bids  him  make 
ready  for  the  winter's  work. 

Having  been  gathered  together  at  the  booms, 
and  sorted  according  to  the  mark^  of  owner- 
ship they  bear,  the  logs  are  now  sent  forward 
to  the  mills  in  tow  of  strong  paddle-wheel 
steamers  built  for  the  purpose  ;  and,  following 
in  their  wake,  we  come  in  due  time  to  the 
immense  lumber-mills,  which  have  the  spring  of 
their  most  profitable  existence  in  the  exhaust- 
less  floods  that  fling  themselves  in  unappeas- 
able fury  over  the  chasm  of  the  Chaudidre. 

One  of  the  first  impressions  made  upon  the 
visitor  is  that  of  wonder  at  the  way  in  which 
the  rushing,  roaring  river  has  been  tamed  and 
trained  by  many  a  deep  device  in  solid  stone 
and  massive  timber,  until  it  cheerfully  submits 
to   do  man's  bidding,  and   patiently  revolves 


FROM  FOREST  TO  FLOOR. 


211 


the  huge  machinery  whereby  a  whilom  forest 
monarch  is  rapidly  reduced  to  yellow  planks. 
A  man  named  Philemon  Wright,  who  hailed 
from  New  England,  was  tlie  first  to  make  the 
Chaudiere  his  slave ;  and  compatriots  of  his 
still  hold  the  lead  there,  the  establishment  of 
works  by  them  upon  a  large  scale  dating  from 
1853. 

The  most  interesting  time  at  which  to  visit 
these  mills,  which  run  day  and  night  all  summer 
long,  is  after  dark,  when  they  are  illuminated 
by  the  electric  light  that  invests  the  scene  with 
a  weird  picturesqueness  not  unworthy  the  pen- 
cil of  a  Dor^.  The  swift,  swirling  torrent  of 
the  mill-race ;  the  dark,  mysterious  pools,  where, 
all  unconscious  of  their  coming  fate,  the  rough 
red  logs  huddle  close  together;  the  pulsating 
roar  of  ponderous  machinery,  broken  every  mo- 
ment by  the  startling  shriek  of  the  circular  saw ; 
or  the  strange  cries  of  brawny  toilers,  all  bathed 
in  whitest  glow  or  plunged  in  darkest  gloom, 
—  combine  to  form  a  picture  that  photographs 
itself  forever  upon  the  memory. 

Another  writer  has  so  graphically  described 
the  operation  of  log-sawing,  that  I  cannot  im- 
prove upon  his  description,  and  will  therefore 


:  i 

:    I 


',; 

,i   ■   - 

,  y 

t' 

'             i 

J': 

! 

1 

1 

1 

'    ! 

212 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


If!     ;  ■JTStt' 


ii.:: 


;;,  i 


:1  :'.! 


I   •' 


;; 'i  ! 


borrow  it :  "  Sot  tliirty  or  more  in  a  row,  the 
tremendous  saws  form  what  is  called  a  *  gate  ; ' 
and  toward  this  uncompromising  combination 
the  logs,  having  first  been  drawn  up  out  of  the 
water  on  an  inclined  plane,  and  deftly  handled 
and  coaxed  into  position,  are  irresistibly  im- 
pelled, one  succeeding  the  other,  day  and  night. 
For  a  moment  the  glistening  steel  dances  be- 
fore the  forest  innocent  —  a  veritable  '  dance  of 
death ; '  then,  with  a  crash  and  a  hiss,  the 
ugly-looking  teeth  make  the  first  bite,  and  for 
five  or  six  minutes  eat  their  way  steadily 
through  the  tough  fibre,  till  that  which  enters 
the  machine's  mighty  jaws  a  mere  log,  emerges 
as  sawn  planks,  and,  after  a  few  more  rapid 
operations,  becomes  well-trimmed  lumber,  ready 
for  the  markets  of  the  world." 

While,  of  course,  the  sawirg  of  deals  and 
planks  constitutes  the  chief  business  at  the 
mills,  there  are  also  large  quantities  of  box- 
shooks,  laths,  railroad  ties,  pickets,  etc.,  turned 
out  there.  The  process  of  lath-making  is  very 
interesting  to  watch,  especially  as  it  is  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  boys.  Odds  and  ends  of  planks 
are  first  cut  out  by  the  circulars  into  the  length 
of  a  lath,  and  then  passed  through  a  machine 


FliOM  FOREST  TO   FLOOR. 


213 


where  a  set  of  tiny  circiiliirs  slices  Ihem  into 
latlis  with  amazing  rapidity.  Into  one  siclo  goes 
the  strip,  out  at  the  other  come  the  hiths,  to  he 
caught  up  by  a  quick-fmgerecl  hid,  and  sorted 
with  a  speed  almost  bewildering,  tlie  defective 
ones  disappearing  into  a  hole  at  liis  feet,  the 
perfect  ones  being  laid  in  a  kind  of  cradle 
beside  him,  where  they  accumulate  until  there 
are  enough  to  make  the  regulation  bundle, 
when  another  boy  whisks  them  off  to  be  tied 
up  for  market. 

For  SIX  days  of  every  week,  between  the 
coming  down  of  the  logs  in  the  spring  and 
the  freezing  of  the  river  in  the  late  autumn,  the 
buzz  and  whirr  and  shriek  of  wheel  and  pulley 
and  saw  cease  not  day  nor  night.  The  work- 
men are  divided  into  day-shifts  and  night-shifts, 
each  putting  in  eleven  hours'  steady  work. 
The  wages  paid  are  good ;  the  highest  being 
one  hundred  dollars  a  month  to  the  mill  fore- 
man, the  sawyers  getting  from  forty  to  sixty 
dollars,  edgers  and  trimmers  from  thirty  to 
forty  dollars,  and  the  general  help  about  thirty 
dollars  a  month.  A  more  cheerful,  contented, 
or  active  lot  of  workers  could  hardly  be  found 
anywhere.     'T  is  true,  the  fme  old  days  have 


h 


i  1*1 


u  <^ 


nm 


^f 


214 


TffE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMEliCE. 


somewhat  gone  l)y  when  the  "lumber-kings," 
as  the  great  mill-owners  were  called,  exercised 
an  authority  over  their  mills  and  tributary  ter- 
ritory that  was  so  regal  in  many  of  its  aspects 
as  to  give  good  ground  for  their  grandiose  title. 
Yet  much  of  the  old  semi-paternal,  semi-despotic 
influence  lingers ;  and  it  may  with  pride  be 
recorded  tliat,  so  far  at  least,  those  hateful, 
harmful  things  called  "strikes"  and  "lock- 
outs "  are  almost  unknown  to  the  twelve  thou- 
sand hewers  and  fashioners  of  wood  in  this 
Ottawa  district. 

An  important  and  indispensable  adjunct  to 
the  mill  is  the  piling-ground.  Having  been 
in  the  water  for  months  before  they  are  sawed, 
the  logs  are,  of  course,  thoroughly  "water- 
logged ; "  and  after  they  have  been  converted 
into  lumber  it  is  necessary  to  get  them  thor- 
oughly dry  again.  This  is  accomplished  by 
piling  them  up  in  huge  stacks,  constructed  in 
such  a  way  that  the  air  has  free  play  all  around 
each  plank ;  and  thus  disposed  they  remain  from 
three  months  to  a  year,  until  sometimes  the 
outer  ones,  instead  of  being  a  golden  yellow, 
become  a  dirty  gray,  or  even  black.  Looking 
out  from  the  cliff  behind  the  Parliament  Build- 


:i  i 


FROM  FOREST  TO  FLOOR. 


215 


ings  one  sees  miles  upon  miles  of  these  lumber 
piles  extending  far  up  and  down  the  river- 
banks,  and  constituting  a  very  prominent  though 
not  picturesque  feature  of  the  landscape. 

While,  as  a  rule,  the  pick  of  the  logs  is 
cut  into  deals  for  the  English  market,  yet  a 
very  large  proportion  is  sawn  into  ten,  twelve, 
and  fourteen  inch  boards,  which  are  exported 
to  the  United  States.  Part  of  the  latter  go 
by  rail,  but  the  majority  by  canal  barge ;  and 
every  summer  the  Ottawa  River  is  crowded 
with  fleets  of  these  cumbrous  craft.  They  are 
usually  owned  by  the  captain,  and  he  often 
takes  his  whole  family  on  board  with  him ;  so 
that  it  is  a  common  thing  to  see  a  bunch  of 
these  boats  moored  in  one  of  the  coves  aw^aiting 
a  cargo,  and  in  the  meantime  festooned  with 
the  family  washing,  and  swarming  with  troops 
of  dirty,  but  happy  and  evidently  well-fed 
youngsters.  The  barges  are  towed  by  steamer 
down  the  Ottawa  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  and 
along  that  mighty  stream  to  Sorel,  whence  they 
proceed  up  the  Kiciiclieu  River,  and  across  Lake 
Champlain  to  Whitehall,  then  down  the  Hud- 
son to  Albany  or  New  York. 

I  have  left  for  treatment  by  itself  a  branch 


V 

III 

m 

216 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMEIiCE. 


li 


of  the  lumber  business  which,  although  much 
smaller  in  its  proportion  than  the  production 
of  sawn  lumber,  and,  indeed,  steadily  decreas- 
ing, is  still  of  too  great  importance  to  be  passed 
by  unnoticed.  I  refer  to  what  is  called  the 
"  square-timber  trade." 

By  square  timber  is  meant  whole  tree-trunks 
roughly  squared  with  broadaxes,  and  sawed 
into  lengths  that  vary  according  to  the  qual- 
ity of  the  tree,  but,  as  a  rule,  fall  within  forty 
feet.  These  great,  unwieldy  timbers  are  made 
up  into  "  cribs  ; "  a  crib  being  about  twenty-four 
feet  wide  b}'  thirty  to  forty  feet  long,  and  con- 
taining some  twenty-five  pieces  held  together 
by  cross-pieces  called  "  traverses,"  strongly 
pinned  on,  four  of  the  largest  timbers  being 
then  laid  upon  the  traverses  and  fixed  firmly. 
The  cribs  are  in  their  turn  combined  into  rafts, 
some  of  which  are  of  such  immense  size  (com- 
prising perhaps  over  one  hundred  cribs)  as  to 
constitute  regular  floating  islands. 

Were  the  course  of  the  Ottawa  smooth  and 
regular,  these  great  rafts,  with  their  little  cabins, 
which  look  like  magnified  dog-kennels,  for  the 
crew  to  sleep  in,  and  fireplaces  to  cook  their 
meals   at,  might  pursue   their  solemn,  stately 


FROM  FOREST  TO  FLOOR. 


217 


course  by  the  aid  of  sail  and  oar  and  current 
down  to  the  St.  Lawrence  intact.  But  broken 
as  the  river  is  into  frequent  falls  and  riotous 
rapids,  this  is  quite  out  of  the  question.  So  at 
each  of  tlie  falls  the*'e  are  "slides"  prepared, 
whereby  the  perils  of  the  watery  precipice  may 
be  avoided.  These  slides  are  very  elaborate 
and  expensive  affairs,  and  are  in  most  cases 
maintained  by  the  Government,  a  toll  being 
exacted  from  the  rafts  that  use  tliem.  Tliey 
are  simply  artificial  channels  constructed  in 
close  proximity  to  the  falls ;  the  walls  and 
bottom  being  lined  with  smooth,  strong  tim- 
ber-work, and  ballasted  with  mighty  stones. 
In  order  to  go  through  the  slides,  the  great 
rafts  must,  of  course,  be  resolved  into  their 
component  cribs,  and  then  made  up  again  after 
the  swift  descent  is  accomplished.  The  longest 
and  steepest  slides  are  those  at  the  ChaudiC're 
Falls ;  and  "  shooting  the  slides "  is  an  expe- 
rience of  thrilling  novelty,  which  no  tourist 
visiting  the  Canadian  capital  should  think  of 
neglecting.  It  may  not  inaptly  be  likened  to 
tobogganing  on  water.  Lot  me  try  to  convey 
some  idea  of  what  it  is  like. 

Ascending  to  the  slide's  summit,  you  jump 


11 


218 


THE  liOMANCE  OF  COMMEltCE. 


\  s 


III 

M 


;      J 


aboard  a  passing  crib  before  it  is  fairly  under- 
way. Soon  you  arc  conscious  of  gutlicring 
speed;  tlie  slide  slants  sliaiply  downwanl,  the 
water  begins  to  ripple  and  splash  beside  you ; 
in  another  moment,  with  a  sudden  shock,  your 
unwieldy  bark,  having  taken  its  plunge,  is 
gliding  down  the  smooth  descent  at  a  pace 
that  makes  you  hold  your  breath  and  tightly 
hug  the  biggest  beam.  Now  you  have  reached 
the  bi'idge ;  and  as  you  shoot  beneath,  you  just 
have  time  to  see  what  is  before,  and  you  feel 
your  heart  leap  to  your  mouth,  as,  with  a 
shudder  and  a  groan,  the  great  crib,  poising 
for  an  awful  moment  on  the  watery  verge, 
dives  headlong  into  the  dark,  foam-flecked 
whirlpool.  The  timbers  strain  and  spread 
apart,  the  waves  burst  up  fiercely  between  your 
feet,  the  spray  springs  high  and  falls  in  drench- 
ing showers.  For  one  harrowing  second  you 
bitterly  repent  your  rashness  in  making  the 
venture ;  then  with  quick  buoyancy  the  crib 
rises  again,  shakes  off  its  aqueous  burden,  and 
hurries  onward,  dipping  and  rising,  until  with 
one  last  dive  the  perilous  passage  is  over,  and 
you  are  floating  quietly  out  on  the  placid 
river. 


I 


FliOM   FOREST   TO   FLOOR. 


211) 


Many  distiiif^uislied  visitors,  from  tlic  Prinro 
of  Wales  and  Princess  Louise  downward 
tlu'ough  the  social  strata,  liave  enjoyed  the 
experience  of  sliooting  the  slides.  Cribs  put 
togetlicr  with  more  than  usual  care,  and 
planked  so  as  to  prevent  wetting,  are  used  on 
such  special  occasions.  And  this  is  very  neces- 
sary, because  there  is  a  certain  amount  of 
actual  danger  to  bo  reckoned  with  in  taking 
one's  chances  upon  the  first  crib  that  hap[)ens 
along.  You  may  get  to  the  bottom  with  noth- 
ing worse  than  a  soaked  coat,  or  you  may  have 
to  "jump  for  your  life."  When  the  writer  went 
down,  the  crib  immotl lately  in  advance  of  him, 
and  the  cril)  behind  him,  broke  up  completely, 
liappily  without  injury  to  anybody,  although 
the  one  he  had  selected  preserved  its  integrity 
to  th3  finish. 

AVith  a  leisureliness  that  irresistibly  reminds 
an  on-looker  of  one  of  those  glaciers  which 
j\Iark  Twain  proposed  to  utilize  for  the  pur- 
poses of  "slow  freight,"  the  rafts  creep  on 
down  the  Ottawa  and  St.  Lawrence  to  Quebec, 
where  they  are  stowed  away  stick  by  stick 
in  the  gaping  holds  of  waiting  ships,  and  car- 
ried off  across  the  ocean  to  Great  Britain. 


220 


TUF  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


CHAPTER  •XIII. 


I:'  M 


N'  :] 


( 


f.f     ; 

! 


f    ,      i 


4  ;::i 


n 


AN  OCEAN   GRAVE-YARD. 

It  is  little  more  than  a  mere  dot  of  dry  land 
in  an  immensity  of  ocean  space,  the  restless- 
ness of  whose  hissing  surges  is  so  incessant 
that  here  might  Jeremiah  have  stood  when  he 
said,  "  There  is  sorrow  on  the  sea ;  it  cam  -)i  be 
quiet."  Sorrow  there  i^,  too,  right  often,  and 
sorrow  there  has  been  ever  since  S.^ble  Island 
rirst  figured  in  human  history.  No  other  island 
on  this  globe  can  sho  ,v  so  appalling  a  record  of 
shipv/reck  and  disaster. 

Now  parched  beneath  the  burning  rays  of  an 
unshaded  summer  sun,  now  swathed  in  chilling 
robes  of  mist  or  snow,  ofttimes  deluged  with 
torrents  of  rain,  and  at  all  seasons  blown  uj  on 
by  the  tireless  winds.  Sable  Island,  remarkable 
as  regards  its  position,  its  shape,  its  structure, 
and  still  more  as  regards  its  history,  has  some- 
how strangely  escaped  the  notice  of  those  who 
travel,  and  remains  to  this  day  shrouded  in  an 
obscurity  no  less  remarkable.    It  does  not,  how- 


Hi  i 


SIR  HUMPHREY  GILBERT. 


^.V  OCEAN  GRAVE-YARD. 


221 


ever,  lack  for  mention  in  history ;  and  we  might 
well  linger  a  while  over  the  references  made  to 
it  by  varions  writers  during  the  past  three  cen- 
turies and  a  half. 

For  the  very  first  appearance  of  Sable  Island 
in  history,  we  must  go  back  througli  many  cen- 
turies to  that  misty  mediaival  period  when  the 
hardy  Danes  delighted  to  voj'age  forth  upon 
daring  quests  whose  Iliad  is  the  Icelandic  saga. 
According  to  this  trustworthy  chroncicle,  where- 
in such  adventures  by  field  and  flood  find  record, 
one  Biorn  Heriulfsen,  in  the  year  986,  purpos- 
ing no  more  ambitious  adventure  than  a  slant 
across  from  Greenland  to  Iceland,  was  taken 
possession  of  by  adverse  winds,  and  driven  far 
to  the  south  and  west,  tliereby  unwillingly 
and  unwittingly  becoming  the  first  European  to 
set  eyes  upon  the  New  World.  Having  passed 
Ilelluland  (now  Newfoundland)  and  Markland 
(Nova  Scotia),  he  came  in  sight  of  a  barren, 
sandy  region,  which,  from  the  account  he  gives 
of  it,  could  liave  been  no  other  than  Sable 
Island.  Unfortunately  for  his  future  fame,  he 
either  lacked  the  courage,  or  could  not  spare 
tlie  time,  to  proceed  a  little  farther  westward  ; 
for  had  lie  done  so,  to  him,  and  not  to  Chris- 


222 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE, 


II , 


ffiii 


Mi 


'  i 


M:'' 


11 


fl 


<4 


topher  Columbus,  would  have  fallen  the  im- 
perishable glory  of  discovering  America.  Even 
as  it  is,  Professor  Rafn  has  shown  —  and  his 
conclusions  are  generally  accepted  —  that  what 
is  nov/  called  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island 
was  settled  by  the  Scandinavians  late  in  the 
tenth  century ;  so  that  the  opportunity  Heriulf- 
sen  thus  neglected  must  have  been  improved 
not  many  years  later  by  some  kinsman  of 
hardier  spirit. 

Between  Bjorn  Herjulfsen  and  the  next  re- 
corded visitor,  there  is  a  long  hiatus,  during 
which  the  island  probably  slumbered  in  undis- 
turbed solitude,  until  the  early  part  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  when  the  Portuguese,  who 
were  then  vigorously  pursuing  the  Newfound- 
land fisheries,  which  had  been  discovered  for 
them  by  John  Cabot,  must  have  found  it  out 
anew;  as  on  a  chart  prepared  by  Pedro  Reinal, 
dated  1505,  the  island  is  laid  down  as  "Santa 
Cruz."  They  were  shrewd  fellows,  those  Por- 
tuguese ;  for  observing  the  abundance  of  coarse, 
succulent  grass  flourishing  throughout  the  cen- 
tre of  the  island,  and  the  plenitude  of  water 
supplied  by  the  lake,  they  conceived  the  admir- 
able plan  of  stocking   the   place  with   cattle, 


if! 


AN  OCEAN  GRAVE-TARD. 


oog 


and  thus  providing  a  fresh-meat  market  con- 
veniently near  their  fishing-grounds.  The 
scheme  succeeded  to  perfection  ;  and,  ere  long, 
herds  of  cattle  and  droves  of  swine  gave  life 
and  noise  to  tliis  hitherto  dead  and  silent 
region.  These  laudable  efforts,  moreover,  were 
involuntarily  supplemented  some  years  later 
by  the  Baron  de  Lery,  w^ho,  being  fired  with 
enterprise  by  the  accounts  which  reached  tlie 
French  court  of  the  Eldorado  beyond  the 
Western  Ocean,  exhausted  his  entire  resources 
in  the  equipment  of  an  expedition  designed  to 
plant  a  colony  there  that  should  be  the  germ 
of  a  new  nation.  Accordingly,  in  1538  he 
fitted  out  a  fleet  of  small  vessels,  loaded  them 
deep  with  men,  cattle,  grain,  and  other  essen- 
tials, and  set  sail  for  America.  But  the  fates 
were  not  propitious.  One  storm  followed 
closely  upon  another,  and  the  expedition  was 
thereby  so  delayed  that  it  did  not  reach  its 
destination  until  late  in  the  autumn.  There 
was  no  time  to  prepare  for  the  winter,  and  no 
other  alternative  than  to  return.  But  before 
so  doing,  the  baron  lightened  his  vessel  by  de- 
positing the  cattle  upon  Sable  Island.  Among 
them  no  doubt  were  several  horses,  from  which 


•jl 


OOJ. 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


it  ■ 


ifi 


'1 

If 

1 

$ 

1 

'  1 

ii 

«i 

J'l 

. 

1 

Ib^ 

have  sprung  the  lierds  of  shaggy,  sharp-boned 
ponies  which  still  scamper  wild  over  the  sand- 
dunes,  and  whose  origin  is  otherwise  inexplic- 
able. 

The  next  recorded  event  opens  out  for  us 
the  ever-lengthening  roll  of  maritime  disaster, 
whose  dread  total  can  never  be  ascertained 
until  the  sea  gives  up  her  dead.  Hundreds  of 
ships  and  thousands  of  lives  are  known  to  have 
found  an  untimely  grave  at  Sable  Island.  But 
how  shall  be  reckoned  up  the  number  of  those 

who,  — 

"Unknelled,  uncoffined,  and  unknown," 

have  here  passed  into  oblivion  ? 

In  the  year  1583,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert, 
"the  pious  and  accomplished  gallant"  of  good 
Queen  Bess,  and  half-brother  to  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  who  founded  Virginia,  and  introduced 
the  art  of  smoking  into  England,  went  out 
upon  a  voyage  of  exploration  with  five  ships 
equipped  in  the  best  manner  of  those  days,  and 
guided  by  experienced  pilots.  Associated  with 
him  in  this  enterprise  were  a  savant  of  high 
renown,  name  unknown,  but  stated  to  have 
been  "a  Saxon  refiner  and  discoverer  of  ines- 
timable riches;"  a  Hungarian  poet,  Stephanus 


AN  OCEAN  G HAVE-YARD. 


225 


Parmenius,  who  "  for  piety  and  zeal  for  good 
attempts  adventured  in  this  action,  minding  to 
record  in  the  Latin  tongue  tlio  things  worthy 
of  remembr.ance  to  the  honor  of  our  nation, 
tlie  same  being  adorned  with  the  eh)queut  style 
of  this  orator  and  rare  poet  of  our  time  ;  "  and 
also  Captain  Richard  Brown,  one  of  the  most 
renowned  mariners  of  the  time,  "a  virtuous, 
honest,  and  discreet  gentleman,  and  never  un- 
prepared for  death,  as  by  his  last  act  of  this 
tragedy  appeared,"  for,  refusing  to  leave  his 
ship,  "he  mounted  upon  the  hig!iest  deck,  where 
he  attended  imminent  danger  and  unavoidable, 
how  l^ng  I  leave  to  God,  who  withdraweth 
not  His  comfort  from  his  servants  at  such 
times." 

Sir  Humphrey  had  a  prosperous  voyage  to 
Newfoundland,  of  which  country  he  took  pos- 
session in  the  name  of  his  queen ;  and,  having 
remained  there  some  time,  bethought  himself  of 
visiting  Sable  Island,  and  restocking  his  de- 
pleted larder  before  taking  up  the  long  voyage 
back  across  the  Atlantic.  The  story  of  what 
followed  was  told  by  Edward  Hays,  captain  of 
the  sole  surviving  vessel;  and  I  cannot  do  better 
than  transcribe  it  as  it  has  been  preserved  for 


22G 


77/ a;  nOMANCE  OF  (OMMKlif'E. 


-I 


•^ 


h:     ! 


!  ■  ) 


1 '     ' 


m 


i"       ! 


m 


us  by  Hakluyt  in  liis  Voyan-cs,  my  quotations, 
Avith  those  alrejuh'  given,  being  taken  from  a 
bewildering  blaek-letter  edition  bearing  date  in 
1583  :  — 

*"  Sabla  lieth  to  the  seaward  of  Cape  Breton, 
about  fort3'-five  degrees,  wliither  we  were  deter- 
mined to  go  upon  intelligence  we  had  of  a 
Portingall  during  our  abode  in  St.  Johns,  who 
was  also  himself  present  when  the  Portingalls 
about  tliirty  years  past  did  put  into  the  same 
Island  both  neat  and  swine  to  breed,  wliich 
were  since  exceedingly  nuiltiplied.  The  dis- 
tance between  Ca^ie  Race  and  Capo  Breton  is 
one  hundred  leagues,  in  wnich  navigation  we 
spent  eight  days.  Having  the  wind  many 
times  indifferent  good,  but  could  never  obtain 
sight  of  aTiy  hind  all  that  time,  seeing  we  were 
liindered  b}'  the  current.  At  last  we  fell  into 
such  flats  and  dangers  that  hardly  any  of  us 
escaped.  Where  nevertheless  we  lost  our  Ad- 
miral (the  name  of  one  of  the  ships),  with  all 
the  men  and  provisions. 

"  Contrary  to  the  mind  of  e:.pert  Master 
Cox  on  Wednesday,  27th  August  we  bore  up 
toward  the  land,  those  in  the  doomed  ship  con- 
tinually  sounding   trumpets   and   guns,   w4ile 


AN   OCEAN   GRAVE-YARD. 


227 


strange  voicos  fioiii  the  deep  scared  the  helms- 
man from  his  post  on  board  tlie  Frigate. 

"Thursday  the  28lh  the  wind  arose  and  blew 
vehemently  from  liie  South  and  East,  bringing 
withal  rain  and  thick  mist  that  we  could  not 
see  a  cable  lengtli  before  us.  And  betimes  we 
were  run  and  foulded  amongst  flats  and  sands, 
amongst  which  we  found  Hats  and  deeps  every 
three  or  four  ships  lengths.  Immediately  to- 
kens were  given  to  the  Admiral  to  cast  about 
to  seaward  which  being  the  greater  ship  was 
performost  upon  the  beach.  Keeping  so  ill  a 
watcli  they  knew  not  the  danger  before  they 
felt  the  same  t«.o  late  to  recover,  for  presently 
the  Admiral  struck  aground,  and  had  soon  her 
stern  and  hinder  parts  beaten  in  pieces.  The 
remaining  two  vessels  escaped  by  casting  about 
E.  S-  E.  bearing  to  the  South  for  their  lives, 
even  in  tlie  wind's  eye.  Sounding  one  while 
seven  fathoms,  then  five,  then  four  fathoms  and 
less,  again  deeper,  then  immediately  four,  then 
three  fathoms,  the  sea  going  mightily  and 
high ; "  as  accurate  a  description  of  beating 
over  the  north-east  bar  as  if  it  had  been  writ- 
ten only  yesterday. 

Thus    the    disaster-darkened    record    begins 


22H 


Till':  lioMAM'i':  or  commehck. 


iiji 


wiili  ;i  liolociiust  of  OIK!  lniiidrcd  nion,  with 
wlioiu  wtMit  down  tin;  nuiii  of  scicnco,  iho  iiuiii 
of  U'ttcis  jiiul  most  nirc  })ni't  of  our  tinio,  jiiid 
the  iiian  of  honor,  diiiiui;  di'iUli  iiitlicr  lliiiii 
(U'sert  his  post;  Jiiid  nil  told,  as  Dr.  IJcriiard 
(Jilpin  ii'ina^ks  in  lii.s  cntortainiiij.^  little  paiii- 
phh't,  ill  that  racy  stylo  only  au  eye-witness 
eoiild  use,  and  with  an  unaiYeeted  strain  of  old- 
fashioned  piety  that  eonies  baek  to  us  over  the 
wide  interval  of  years  like  the  flavor  of  some 
rare  old  wine. 

As  for  Sir  Humphrey  himself  he  did  but 
cseape  one  danger  to  fall  straightway  into  an- 
other ;  for  a  few  days  after  he  was  caught  in 
II  fearful  gale  on  the  Grand  Banks,  and  his  sole 
.V  iiaining  consort  carried  home  the  sorrowful 
news  that  the  heroic  admiral  hailed  them  dur- 
ing the  raging  storm,  "  that  Heaven  was  as 
near  by  sea  as  by  land,"  and  shortly  after 
standin.g  at  the  helm,  sorel}'  wounded  in  his 
foot,  and  Bible  in  hand,  went  down  beneath 
the  relentless  waves. 

Fifteen  years  elapse  in  barrenness  of  inci- 
dent, and  then  comes  one  of  those  stories  which, 
though  sober  fact,  surpass  in  strangeness  the 
wildest   flights   of   the   romance.      Champlain, 


y1  .V  (X '  /;.  I  .V  a  II A  V  K-  YA  U  I). 


,  with 
le  nuin 
0,  unci 
r  than 

0    pillU- 

wilnt'ss 

of  oUl- 

ivor  tbo 

jf  some 

[lid   but 
into  an- 
iight  in 
lis  sole 
iTowful 
em  dur- 
was   as 
y   after 
in  his 
beneath 

of  inci- 
is  which, 
ness  the 
amplahi, 


Lcscarbot,  Lc  IN'^io   Lo  Clcn;,  and    Cliarlovoix 
have  each  |)r(;s('rvL'd    an   indcjxjndiMit    account 
of    tho    matt(;r;    and    tlicy    tally   so  clost'ly    as 
to  leave  not  the  narrowest  erainiy  into  w]ii(!h 
"destructive  criticism"  may  fasten   its  insidi- 
ous tendrils.     In  January,  1598,  Henry  IV.  of 
France,  by  letters  patent,  granted  to  tlu;  iMar- 
(juis  de  la  Koche  almost  absolnte  [)owcr  over 
"the    islands   and  countries  of   Canada,  Sa])lo 
Island,    Newfoundland,   and    tho    adjacent   re- 
gions," to  the  end  that  tho  })oor  benighted  sav- 
ages inhabiting  those  lands   might  be  Ijrought 
to  a  knowledge  of  tho  true  (iod,  all  selfish  ideas 
of   national   aggrandizement   being,   of  course, 
piously  absent  from  the  royal  mind.     This  Mar- 
quis de  la  Roche  was  no  ordinary  personage. 
He  had  been  governor  of  Morlaix,  and  president 
of  the  Nantes  States,   and   in   his  youth   had 
served  as   page    before    Catherine   do'    Medici. 
Yet  this  expedition  was  so  modest,  not  to  say 
cheap,  in  its  pro2Jortion  and  equipment  as  to 
seem  quite  unworthy  its  ambitious  mission  or 
the    viceregal    rank   of    its    commander.      One 
vessel    constituted   the   fleet,   and   it   so   small 
that,  according  to  a  contemporary  chronicle,  you 
could  wash  your  hands  in  the  water  without 


230 


77/7?  JIOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


\ 


leaving  the  deck,  while  forty  out  of  the  sixty 
men  comprising  tlie  marquis's  army  of  occupa- 
tion and  evangelization  were  convicts  from  the 
royal  i)risons.  It  is  just  around  this  quarantine 
of  convicts  that  the  whole  interest  gathers ;  for 
as  the  little  vessel  drew  near  the  New  World, 
the  marquis,  foreseeing  diinger  in  landing  his 
flock  of  jail-birds  without  first  having  made 
some  2>J'ovision  for  their  safe  keeping,  be- 
thought himself  of  leaving  them  upon  Sjible 
Island  until  he  had  selected  the  site  of  his  col- 
ony, and  brought  things  somewhat  into  shape. 
Accordingly,  to  quote  Lescarbot,  "  ayant  la  d^- 
chary^  ses  yens  et  hay  ay  e.,^^  he  proceeded  com- 
posedly on  his  way.  But  alas  for  the  vanity  of 
human  planning!  The  gray  hunmiocks  of  Les 
Sablons  had  scarce  sunk  below  tlie  horizon  ere 
a  tempest  burst  uj)on  his  ship,  which  rested  not 
until  it  had  blown  the  marquis  clear  back  to 
France  again ;  and  no  sooner  had  he  landed 
than  €an  enraged  creditor  cast  him  into  prison, 
where  he  languished  in  utter  inability  to  do 
anything  for  the  men  he  had  so  undesignedly 
deserted. 

And  how  fared  it  with  them  during  the  five 
long  years  they  were  left  to  themselves  upon 


llf 


tLijk. 


AN  OCEAN  GliAVE-rARD. 


231 


e  sixty 
occupa- 
•om  tbe 
irantino 
lii's ;  for 
World, 

ling  his 
g   made 
ing,    be- 
)n  Sable 
t  his  col- 
^o  shape. 
mt  la  til- 
led corn- 
vanity  of 
vs  of  Les 
)rizon  ere 
ested  not 
back  to 
e   landed 
o  prison, 
ty  to  do 
esignedly 

the  five 
Ives  upon 


this  islo  of  desolation?  At  first  it  would  seem 
as  if,  on  being  thus  released  from  all  restraint, 
they  fonght  witli  one  another  like  entrapped 
rats ;  for  Lescarbot  tells  that  "  eea  yens  ae  mutl' 
nerent^  et  se  couperent  la  (jonje  Vun  et  Vautre,^^ 
Tlien,  as  the  horror  of  their  situation  fully 
dawned  upon  tliem,  they  realized  that  only  by 
harmonious  co-operation  could  any  life  be  pre- 
served ;  better  counsels  prevailed,  and  systematic 
efforts  were  put  forth  to  secure  a  maintenance. 
From  the  wreck  of  a  Spanish  sliip  they  built 
themselves  huts ;  the  ocean  furnished  them  with 
firewood ;  the  wild  cattle  with  meat ;  the  seals 
with  clothing ;  and  with  some  seeds  and  farm- 
ing implements  happily  included  among  tlie 
"  bagage  "  mentioned  by  Lescarbot,  they  car- 
ried on  agricultural  operations  in  a  sheltered 
valley  by  the  lakeside,  whose  tradition  remains 
to  this  day  by  the  locality  being  known  as  the 
"  French  Gardens."  Moreover,  the  chase  of 
the  black  fox,  which  then  abounded,  and  of 
the  great  morse  or  walrus,  enabled  them  to  lay 
up  goodly  stores  of  precious  pelts  and  ivory 
against  the  ever-hoped-for  day  of  their  redemp- 
tion. 

Despite  these   alleviations   in  the    rigor   of 


am 


f:' 


r 

Ml 

W 


ll:^i 


tl  ^ 


i  f 


"^  I 


232 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


their  fate,  however,  the  utter  absence  of  the 
most  necessary  comforts  and  their  own  evil 
deeds  so  reduced  their  numbers,  that  when  in 
1603  the  king  sent  a  vessel  to  bring  them 
back,  only  eleven  out  of  the  original  forty  were 
found  alive.  Clad  in  their  self-made  sealskin 
garments,  broken,  haggard,  and  unkempt,  they 
were  presented  before  Henry  IV.;  and  their 
harrowing  tale  so  touched  the  royal  heart  that 
they  each  received  a  full  pardon  for  their 
crimes,  and  a  solatium  of  fifty  golden  crowns. 
The  strangest  part  of  the  story  remains  yet  to 
be  told.  Undeterred  by  an  experience  that  was 
surely  sufficient  to  appall  the  stoutest  heart, 
these  Rip  Van  Winkles  of  the  sea,  whose 
names  may  still  be  found  on  record  in  the 
Registres  d'Audience  du  Parliament  de  Rouen, 
returned  to  their  place  of  exile,  and  drove  a 
thriving  trade  in  furs  and  ivory  with  their 
mother  country  for  many  years,  until  one  by 
one  they  passed  away. 

About  a  twelvemonth  after  the  convicts'  res- 
cue, the  expedition  of  the  Sieur  de  Monts, 
which  had  in  view  the  founding  of  Port  Royal 
(now  Annapolis,  Nova  Scotia),  narrowly  es- 
caped a  disastrous  ending  among  the  sands  of 


i: 


AN  OCEAN  GRAVE-YARD. 


233 


Sable  Island  ;  and  we  read  in  riianiplain's  ''Voy- 
ages "  that  on  the  first  of  May  th(iy  liad  knowl- 
edffe  of  "  rile  de  Sable,"  and  ran  fjreat  risk 
of  being  cast  ashore  there.  Tliat,  liowever, 
was  only  a  might-have-been.  Wortliy  Master 
John  Rose,  of  Boston,  whose  ex[)crienee  may 
be  found  recorded  in  Winthroj)'' a  Journal^  did 
not  fare  by  any  means  so  well  thirty  years 
later,  inasmuch  as  he  had  knowledge  of  Sable 
Island  at  the  cost  of  his  good  ship,  the  Mary 
Ann  Jane.  He  did  not  remain  long  in  exile ; 
for,  being  a  handy  man  with  tools,  he  built 
himself  a  pinnace  out  of  the  dSbria  of  his  ves- 
sel, and  thereby  succeeded  in  making  liis  es- 
cape. On  his  return  to  Boston  he  gave  such 
glowing  accounts  of  the  island's  animal  wealth, 
special  emphasis  being  laid  upon  "  more  than 
eight  hundred  wild  cattle,  and  a  great  many 
foxes,  many  of  which  were  black,"  that  public 
enterprise  was  stimulated  to  the  extent  of  a 
company  being  formed  to  put  his  discovery  to 
good  account.  Tliis  company  went  to  work  so 
energetically  that  the  Acadian  autliorities,  to 
whom  the  island  now  belonged,  had  to  issue  a 
proclamation  against  any  more  cattle  being 
killed.     But  the  proclamation,  being  unaccom- 


fi 


nl 


234 


THE  nOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


I 


panied  ])y  any  show  of  force,  proved  no  more 
effectual  tluin  e.stiina])le  Dame  Partiiiotoii's  en- 
deavors  1,0  })ush  back  the  Atlantic  Ocean  ;  and 
not  long  after  its  issuance  the  cattle  totally 
disappeared,  leaving  the  wild  horses  in  undis- 
puted ])Ossession  of  the  pastures. 

To  Winthrop,  whose  Journal  has  been  al- 
ready quoted,  we  are  indebted  for  anotlier  item 
of  the  island's  liistory  not  elsewhere  recorded. 
He  has  an  entry  to  the  effect  that  in  1635 
the  English,  having  returned  thither  to  pursue 
the  chase  of  the  walrus  and  fox,  were  much 
surprised,  and  no  less  chagrined,  to  fuid  al- 
ready in  possession  some  sixteeu  Frenchmen, 
who  had  evidently  been  tliere  all  winter,  and 
had  built  a  little  fort.  These  men  were  prob- 
ably employees  of  the  de  Kazilly  brothers,  to 
whom  Sable  Island  had  been  granted  in  that 
off-liand  maimer  which  distincfuished  the  French 
monarchs  of  that  time  ;  and  they  had  made  good 
use  of  their  opportunities,  as  their  accumula- 
tions of  hides  and  pelts  betokened.  On  the 
death  of  Commander  de  Razilly,  wliich  took 
place  in  1G37,  the  French  must  have  aban- 
doned the  place ;  for  Winthrop  further  notes 
that  the  New  Englanders  liad  the  field  all  to 


AN  OCEAN  GRAVE-YARD. 


235 


themselves  from  1G39  to  1642;  and  we  may 
form  some  idea  of  the  value  of  this  monopoly 
from  liis  statement  that  their  last  expedition 
yielded  over  one  thousand  five  hundred  pounds, 
or  more  tlian  seven  thousand  dollars. 

From  tliat  time  until  the  hefrinnincf  of  the 
nineteentli  century  very  little  is  known  con- 
cerninjT  Sable  Island,  save  tliat  each  vear  added 
a  darker  tinge  to  its  sombre  reputation  as  a 
naval  cemetery.  ^More  dreadful,  however,  than 
the  unconscious  fury  of  the  storm  was  the  delil> 
erate  wickedness  of  the  demons  in  human  form 
who  now  made  this  peculiarly  favorable  spot 
their  haunt  and  hunting-grouiHl.  Wreckers, 
pirates,  and  vagabonds  of  like  infamous  stamp, 
were  attracted  thither  by  the  unceasing  succes- 
sion of  wrecks,  and  the  absence  of  all  restraint ; 
and  they  plied  their  infernal  trade  so  vigor- 
ously that  the  terror  of  their  name  spread  far 
and  wide.  The  discretion  of  dead  men  to  tell 
no  tales  can  always  be  trusted ;  and  so  when 
some  rich  wreck  rejoiced  the  hearts  of  these 
wretches,  they  made  it  their  care  to  despatcli 
all  those  ill-starred  castawavs  whom  even  the 
raging  surf  had  s[)ared.  For  a  time  all  went 
merrily  with  them,  and   many  an    adventurer 


.f.  ?'' 


■U'MI-IIII 


■Mwmn 


II 


23G 


TJIK  ROMANCE  OF  COMMEIiCL, 


if 


Hi 


i!     t 


who  left  his  home  "  under  sealed  orders  "  re- 
turned in  a  suspiciously  short  time  with  well- 
lined  pockets.  Rare  jewels,  costly  silks,  and 
other  articles  of  what  Magwitch  would  pro- 
fessionally designate  as  "  portable  propert}-," 
not  guiltless  of  a  sinister  connection  with  Sable 
Island,  found  their  way  surreptitiously  into 
the  shops  of  Halifax  and  Boston,  while  blood- 
chilling  tales  of  horrid  deeds  done  where  there 
was  no  heart  to  pity,  and  no  hand  to  save, 
became  current  on  the  mainland. 

But  the  most  successful  of  scoundrels  event- 
ually reacli  the  end  of  their  tether,  l\owever 
supinely  their  atrocities  may  be  endured  for  a 
season.  The  Nova  Scotian  Government,  too 
long  culpably  indifferent,  Avas  at  length  goaded 
into  action  by  the  loss  of  the  transport  Princess 
Amelia  and  the  gun-brig  Harriet  in  quick 
succession.  At  the  suggestion  of  Sir  John 
Wentworth,  an  appropriation  was  made  in  1803 
for  the  settlement  of  guardians  upon  the  island. 
Then  a  proclamation  was  issued  that  all  per- 
sons found  residing  there  without  a  govern- 
ment license  would  be  removed,  and  punished 
with  at  least  six  years'  imprisonment;  and  this 
proclamation,  unlike  the  one  about  the  cattle. 


%  I 


m 


AN  OCEAN  GRAVE-YARD. 


287 


?» 


?-rs  "  rc- 
th  well- 
ks,  and 
lid  pro- 
opert}', 
th  Sable 
sly  into 
c  blood- 
3re  there 
to  save, 

ils  event- 
l\owever 
red  for  a 
nent,  too 
I  goaded 
Princess 
n  quick 
ir   Jolm 
in  1803 
lie  island, 
all  per- 
govern- 
punished 
and  this 
10  cattle, 


being  backed  up  by  a  show  of  force,  the  wreck- 
ers deemed  it  expedient  to  remove  tliemselves 
without  standing  upon  the  order  of  their  go- 
ing. 

With  their  departure  the  romance  of  Sable 
Island's  history  ends.  From  the  year  1803, 
the  Imperial  and  Nova  Scotian  authorities  have 
maintained  a  settlement  there  called  the  Hu- 
mane Establishment;  and  i;-ider  its  reylme  the 
only  breaks  in  the  peaceful  monotony  of  insular 
existence  have  been  the  never-failing  wrecks. 

A  visit  to  Sable  Island  can  be  made  only 
under  certain  conditions,  and  these  conditions 
so  infrequently  occur  that  it  is  no  unusual 
thing  for  the  passage  there  to  be  taken  in  vain. 
It  lies  due  east  from  Nova  Scotia,  at  a  distance 
of  about  eighty-five  miles,  between  the  forty- 
third  and  forty-fourth  degrees  of  north  lati- 
tude, and  the  fifty-ninth  of  west  longitude. 
To  one  approaching  froai  the  north,  the  island 
appears  to  be  a  succession  of  low  sand-hills, 
thinly  patched  with  struggling  vegetation,  hav- 
ing at  the  west  end  an  elevation  of  some 
twenty  feet,  then  gradually  rising  as  you  go 
eastward  until  they  attain  the  height  of  eighty 
feet   near   the  East  End  light,  beyond  which 


li 


238 


THE  llOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


li    ': 


•  i 


[.; 


they  slope  away  again  until  they  merge  into 
the  north-east  bar.  Its  general  shape  is  that 
of  a  long.,  narrow  crescent,  measuring  twenty- 
two  miles  from  tip  to  tip,  and  one  mile  in 
breadth  at  its  best.  The  time  was,  as  will  be 
presently  shown,  when  these  measurements 
might  easily  have  been  doubled ;  but  now  each 
succeeding  year  finds  them  surely,  steadily 
decreasing. 

Perplexing  as  are  the  currents,  and  bewilder- 
ing the  fogs,  that  beset  the  island,  they  are 
not  by  any  means  its  worst  feature.  Far  more 
fruitful  of  harm  are  the  entangling  shallows, 
which  spread  out  so  widely  that  for  many  a 
mile  beyond  the  point  where  sea  and  sand 
meet  and  mingle  there  is  not  water  enough 
to  float  a  small  schooner.  Thus  at  the  north- 
east end  on  a  windy  day,  there  may  be  seen 
some  nine  miles  of  roaring  breakers  before  a 
depth  of  six  fathoms  is  reached,  and  then  four 
miles  more  of  heavy  cross-seas  leading  out  to 
a  depth  of  from  ten  to  thirteen  fathoms.  At 
the  north-west  end  the  bar  extends  seaward 
nearly  seventeen  miles  after  the  same  fashion, 
before  the  water  is  really  deep.  So  that  tak- 
ing the  length  of  the  island  and  its  bars  to- 


^i;   i 


M-,.  r:'    I 


AN  OCEAN  aiiAVK-VAIil). 


230 


getlier,  the  scene  presented  in  stormy  weather 
is  magiiilicent  and  awe-inspiring  beyond  all 
possible  power  of  description,  when  in  continu- 
ons  line  for  over  lifty  miles  tlie  raging  waves 
of  the  sea,  rolling  in  unchecked  from  vast 
ocean  spaces,  foam  out  their  fury  upon  the 
sand-banks,  which  seem  to  quake  and  quiver 
beneath  their  overwhelming  onset. 

The  conditions  which  have  been  hinted  at  as 
prerequisite  to  effecting  a  landing  upon  Sable 
Island  are  that  the  day  be  line  and  the  wind 
securely  settled  in  the  south.  The  only  good 
landing-place  is  on  the  north  side;  and  even 
there  the  government  steamer,  which  forms  the 
sole  connecting  link  between  the  island  and  the 
outside  world,  can  come  no  closer  than  a  mile, 
and  must  keep  a  vigilant  lookout,  so  that,  on 
the  first  sign  of  a  change  in  the  wind,  she  may 
weigh  anchor  and  make  an  offing  without  delay. 

Let  us  suppose  that  the  halcyon  days  of  July 
have  come,  and  that  we  have  obtained  permis- 
sion to  accompany  the  Newfield  upon  one  of 
her  regular  supply  tri^^s.  The  midsummer 
night  passes  quickly.  Our  ninety  miles  of 
open  sea  are  soon  accomplished ;  and,  as  the 
morning  sun   climbs  grandly  upward  from  his 


'i 


240 


THE  nOMANCE  OF  COMMEliCE. 


Ms 


W<  • 


U 


■h 


bed  among  the  eastern  waves,  his  ricli  rvA  rays 
crimson  the  creamy  froth  that  fringes  all  tlie 
shore.  We  are  in  lunk  to-day ;  for  old  ocean  is 
at  peace  with  himself,  and  the  south  wind 
blows  softly.  How  rare  this  is  may  be  im- 
agined f'o  n  to  liiLiP,,  in  the  supe:intendent's 
journal, — o^ie  to  U  effect  that  there  liad  not 
been  five  fine  days  in  ;  "ir  months;  the  other, 
that  the  steamer  was  eight  days  in  trying  to 
effect  a  landing.  Fine  though  the  day  be,  how- 
ever, to  get  safely  ashore  is  no  easy  matter ;  for 
the  long  ocean  rollers  are  tumbling  in  upon 
the  beach  with  tireless  energy,  and  no  ordinary 
boat  may  run  their  gantlet  with  impunity.  But 
there  is  due  provision  uvuXq  for  this.  Hardly 
has  the  steamer  come  to  anchor  when  the  beach 
is  dotted  with  men  and  horses ;  one  of  the  broad- 
beamed,  high-stemmed  surf-boats  peculiar  to  the 
island  is  rapidly  drawn  on  its  wide-wheeled  cart 
to  the  water's  edge,  and  after  gallantly  breast- 
ing the  breakers,  comes  swiftly  toward  us. 
S-,on  it  is  alongside,  and  the  crew  grasp  eager- 
ly at  the  mail-bags,  whose  contents  will  tell 
them  what  their  friends  and  the  rest  of  the 
world  have  been  doing  since  the  steamer's  last 
visit. 


ih' 


AN  O^EAN  aUAVE-YAIin. 


241 


We  arc  to  n;tuni  wHli  ilium:  and  it  will  bo  a 
wise  precaution  to  don  onr  \vater[)i()of.s  and  wear 
our  closest-litting  c.ips,  for  there  arc  some 
marine  gymnni;ucs  before  us,  whicli  may  not 
iniT)  )baoiy  result  in  our  undergoing  an  invol- 
untary l)ai)tism  that  would  content  tlie  most 
rigid  immersionist  ere  reaching  the  land. 
Seated  in  the  stern  sheets,  we  look  forwa*  to 
the  nearing  surf  with  an  anxiety  whicli  cv  .i 
the  encouragement  given  by  sleek,  shinir.  •;  .  ealij 
bobbing  up  serenely  all  about  our  boat,  .is  :■;  in 
cheery  welcome,  does  not  altogether  all*  ;.  The 
crew  bend  lustily  to  their  oars,  and  the  helms- 
man, standing  high  in  the  pointed  stern,  with 
loud  command  and  brawny  arm  keeps  the 
great  boat  true  in  her  proper  course,  let  the 
billows  buffet  her  never  so  roughly,  until,  rid- 
ing triumphantly  upon  the  back  of  a  huge 
comber,  she  is  carried  far  up  the  beach,  and 
stranded  amid  a  mass  of  seething  waters.  To 
spring  from  their  seats  and  hold  hard  the  boat, 
lest  it  be  swept  back  by  the  receding  wave,  is 
the  work  of  a  moment  for  the  dripping  oarsmen  ; 
and  then  another  foaming  breaker,  supple- 
mented by  a  vigorous  shove  from  their  stalwart 
arms,  sends  their  unwieldy  craft  up  high  and 


m 
I 


■'  nth 
■I* 


242 


THE  nOMANCE  OF  COMMERCE. 


1 


Hi' 


I? 


!| 


ii 

■i 

:r| 

.t  ■- 

i;, 

■| 

fid- 


dly, and  tliG  spray -SI  laslietl  passengers  can  step 
out  upon  terra  firina. 

The  yielding  sands  do  not  make  easy  walk- 
ing; and  we  plod  slowly  up  the  slight  ascent 
until,  going  through  a  short  passage  between 
two  hummocks,  wo  suddenly  emerge  upon  a 
scene  so  utterly  different  from  whfit  has  hitherto 
met  our  gaze  that  we  are  fain  to  wonder  for  a 
moment  if  it  may  not  possibly  be  a  mirage  or 
ocular  delusion  of  some  sort.  Before  us  lies  a 
broad  valley,  completely  shut  in  from  the  sea 
by  hills,  which  rise  to  right  and  left,  and  wave 
with  a  wealth  of  vegetation  that  is  inexpres- 
sibly refreshing  to  eyes  already  wearied  with 
the  monotony  of  sand  and  sea.  Ranged  in  an 
irregular  square  stand  the  buildings  of  the 
main  station,  —  the  superintendent's  spacious 
dwelling,  where  a  warm  welcome  always  awaits 
the  newcomer,  be  he  casual  visitor  or  cast- 
away, flanked  by  quarters  of  the  staff,  boat- 
houses,  stores,  and  other  out-buildings,  while 
well-filled  barns  and  well-stocked  barnyards 
lend  an  air  of  substantial  comfort  to  the 
whole  picture. 

After  exchanging  greetings  with  the  super- 
intendent and  his  staff,  who,  delighted  with 


^iV   OCEAN  anAVK-VAIlD. 


243 


this  pleasant  break  in  the  monotony  of  their 
lives,  crowd  about  us,  eager  for  the  latest  news, 
our  first  thought  is  to  clunb  the  big  flag-staff, 
and  view  the  landscape  from  tlic  crow's-nest 
perched  perilously  on  high.  The  ascent  accom- 
plished, a  wonderful  panorama  lies  outspread 
before  us,  which  has  been  already  so  well  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  Gilpin  that  I  will  adopt  his 
picturesque  paragraphs.  From  beneath  our 
feet  the  narrow  island  stretches  east  and  west 
its  bow-like  form,  holding  a  shallow  lagoon, 
some  eight  miles  long,  in  its  centre,  and  pre- 
senting many  an  effective  contrast  of  sandy 
upland  and  grassy  meadow,  bare,  bleak  beach 
and  richly  flowered  nook,  where  fairies  might 
hold  their  midnight  revels.  From  the  fore- 
ground, with  its  group  of  buildings,  the  eye 
roams  over  to  the  West  End  lighthouse,  whence 
the  men  are  now  hurrying,  pony-back,  at  the 
summons  of  the  flag  announcing  the  steamer's 
arrival.  Every  sandy  peak  or  verdurous  knoll 
bears  some  sad  tradition.  Baker's  Hill,  Trot's 
Cove,  Scotchman's  Head,  French  Gardens  —  so 
many  silent  records  of  human  suffering.  Then 
turning  eastward,  we  see  the  little  burying- 
ground  nestling  in  the  deep,   rich  grass,  and 


'W 


m^ 


III 


'jiff' 


,.i 


•I.I 


244 


rilK   nOMASCE  OF  L'OMMintiJK. 


consocratt'd  to  tlie  last  sleep  of  many  a  victim 
to  the  ocean's  wrath.  Nine  miles  farther  down 
a  telescope  makes  plain  the  llug-staff  at  the 
foot  of  the  lake ;  and  five  miles  beyon  .1  that 
the  East  End  light,  with  its  attendan"  build- 
ings. Herds  of  wild  ponies,  jealously  guarded 
by  shaggy  stallions,  graze  upon  the  hillsides, 
black  duck  and  sheldrake  in  tempting  flocks 
paddle  about  the  innumerable  ponds,  while 
sea-birds  fill  the  air  with  their  harsh  clatter; 
and  whole  regiments  of  seals  bask  in  snug 
content  along  the  sunny  beach.  Here  and 
there  the  bleaching  ribs  of  naval  skeletons 
protrude  half-buried  from  the  sand ;  and  the 
whole  picture  is  set  in  a  silver-frosted  frame 
of  seething  surf. 

It  does  not  take  many  hours  to  exhaust  the 
sights  of  Sable  Island ;  but  many  long  nights 
might  be  spent  around  the  superintendent's 
fireside,  ere  the  stories  and  legends  he  and  liis 
men  delight  in  telling  would  be  one-half  ex- 
hausted. For  every  foot  of  the  island  is 
haunted  ground;  and  the  station-dwellings  are 
rich  in  relics,  each  one  having  its  own  connec- 
tion with  a  shadowy  and  sorrowful  past.  The 
supernatural,  of   course,  plays  a  leading  part 


AN  OCEAN   aUAVE-YAHl). 


24r) 


iclini 

down 

it  tlio 

[  tluit 

builtl- 

lartlecl 

Isitlcs, 

flocks 

^vhilo 
latter ; 
\  siuig 
re  and 
eletons 
,nd  tlio 

frame 

ist  the 
niglits 
ndent's 
md  his 
lalf  ex- 
land    is 
igs  are 
jonnec- 
The 
ig  part 


in  these  rohitions ;  and  if  one;  be  hut  creduh)ns 
enougli,  tliey  may  liave  their  faith  in  gliosts 
revisiting  the  glimpses  of  the  moon  greatly 
strengthened  hy  the  legends  of  I)e  Lery's  heroic 
friar  or  King  Charles's  remorseful  regicide,  of 
the  Pale  Lady  with  the  liloody  Finger,  and  a 
score  of  others  which  cast  an  eerie  halo  round 
this  weird  spot. 

Since  the  founding  of  the  Humane  Estab- 
lishment, in  1802,  a  wreck  register  has  been 
carefully  kept;  and  on  its  pages  may  be  read 
to-divy  the  names  of  nearly  two  hundred  vessels 
that  have  come  to  their  undoing  on  these  fatal 
sands.  Once  entangled  amid  the  shallows, 
once  stranded  upon  the  bars,  and  it  is  all 
over  with  the  hapless  craft,  whether  she  be 
stately  frigate,  speedy  steamer,  clipper  ship, 
or  humble  fisher's  boat.  ^Ir.  Simon  D.  Mac- 
donald,  F.G.S.,  of  Halifax,  N.S.,  sometime  ago 
prepared  with  great  skill  and  care  a  most  in- 
teresting chart  of  Sable  Island,  indicating  so 
far  as  possible  the  exact  locality  and  date  of 
each  disastei .  as  well  as  the  character  of  the 
vessel  wrecked  ;  and,  looking  at  this  chart,  the 
island  is  seen  to  be  completely  encircled  by 
these  grim  proofs  of  its  destructive  powers. 


( 

I 

,  -I 


i  I 


''  ) 


m 

'' 

J' 

1 

'i^- 

"jh 

24G 


TIIK  nOMANCi:   OF  COMMEIiCE. 


A  liiisty  glance  at  sonic  of  tlie  more  recent 
wrecks  will  lend  emphasis  to  the  stor}^  told  hy 
the  chart.  In  the  year  1863  the  fine  steamer 
Georgia  ended  her  career  on  the  western  bar, 
fortunately,  however,  without  loss  of  life;  and 
tliree  years  later  the  steamship  Ephesus  met 
with  a  like  experience  near  the  same  spot, 
there  being  little  or  no  salvage  in  either  case. 
At  tlie  wreck  of  the  schooner  Ocean  Traveller, 
in  1870,  all  the  nine  men  composing  lier  crew 
were  lost.  So  was  it  with  the  Zephyr  in  1873 ; 
and  when  the  Portuguese  Farto  went  to  pieces, 
in  1875,  the  captain  and  two  sailors  perished. 
Then,  in  187G,  the  American  schooner  Reeves 
found  a  grave,  not  only  for  herself,  but  for 
every  one  on  board ;  and  in  1879  nine  passengers 
were  carried  away  by  the  billows  at  the  strand- 
ing of  the  State  of  Virginia.  The  year  1882 
was  marked  by  the  destruction  of  two  Norwe- 
gian barkd,  with  a  loss  of  life  in  each  case;  1883 
by  the  wreck  of  the  bark  Britannia,  and  the  loss 
of  thirteen  lives ;  and  1884  by  that  of  the  splen- 
did steamship  Amsterdam,  when  three  of  tlie 
passengers  paid  the  forfeit.  This  last  disaster 
attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention  throughout 
the  United  States  because  of  some  grossly  ex- 


AN  OCEAN  GRAVE-YARD. 


247 


aggerated  reports  which  were  put  in  circulation 
as  to  the  brutal  treatment  alleged  to  have  been 
received  by  the  unfortunate  castaways  at  the 
hands  of  the  staff;  the  simple  truth  being  that 
a  couple  of  the  boat's  crew  got  intoxicated  with 
wine  wliich  had  been  saved  from  the  wreck, 
and  conducted  themselves  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  frighten  some  of  the  women  and  children, 
for  which  offence  they  were  severely  punished 
by  the  superintendent. 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  even  the  tremen- 
dous total  of  recorded  wrecks  falls  short  of 
representing  the  whole  truth.  On  the  con- 
trary, for  every  wreck  tliat  is  recorded,  at  least 
one  other  never  to  be  known  may  be  safely 
added.  After  many  a  storm  do  the  waves  cast 
up  at  the  patrolman's  feet  the  evidence  of  some 
fresh  disaster,  —  a  shattered  spar,  an  empty  hen- 
coop, a  fragment  of  cabin  furniture,  or  per- 
chance a  bruised  and  battered  corpse.  And 
then,  alas!  there  nuist  be  added  tlie  dread  work 
done  by  tlie  distant  bars,  from  wliicli  not  even 
sucli  pathetic  tokens  as  these  find  tlieir  way 
ashore.  The  foUowing  brief  account  of  a  disas- 
ter that  occurred  in  December,  1884,  will  servo 
to  convey  some  idea  of  wliat  it  means  to  bo 
wrecked  on  Sable  Island  :  — 


248 


THE  ROMANCE   OF  COMMERCE. 


The  A.  S.  IT.  was  a  French  biigantine  en 
route  from  St.  Pierre  to  Boston  with  a  cargo 
of  fish.  Toward  evening  of  Dec.  19  she  was 
caught  in  a  violent  snowstorm,  and  liurled 
upon  the  west-end  bar,  beginning  to  })reak  up 
ahnost  immediately.  Slie  liad  a  crew  of  seven 
men  on  board.  The  thermometer  stood  at 
twelve  degrees  below  zero,  and  the  sufferings  of 
the  uidi[ippy  men  were  so  tei'rible  that  death 
assumed  the  gui.>e  of  a  welcome  relief.  Three 
were  washed  overboard  when  the  ship  struck; 
and  althouoh  the  water  was  strewn  with  float- 
ing  dehrls^  they  made  no  effort  to  prolong  their 
lives.  I'he  stewaid,  frenzied  with  friglit  and 
])ain,  ran  to  his  berth,  seized  a  razor,  cut  his 
throat  from  ear  to  ear,  and  then  leaped  into 
the  boiling  surf.  Tlie  captain,  the  mate,  and 
the  remaining  sailor  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  shore  on  a  spar;  ])ut  they  only  escaped  the 
terrors  of  the  deep  to  encounter  the  still  more 
fearful  terror  of  the  frost-king.  They  could 
just  discern  through  the  blinding  snow  a  faint 
Ldimmer  from  the  lic]fhthouse,  three  loner  miles 
away,  and  they  set  out  toward  it.  The  sand 
was  beinir  driven  with  tremendous  force  before 
the  gale,   and    the  grains    dashed    against    the 


AN  OCEAN  GRAVE-YARD. 


249 


ine  en 
.  cargo 
lie  was 
hurled 
cak  up 
[  seveu 
:oocl  at 
lings  of 
t  death 

Three 
struck ; 
til  float- 
iior  their 
rht  and 
cut  his 
l)ed  into 
ite,  and 

caching 
Lped  the 
ill  ni(M-e 


y 


cou 


1,1 


Iff   ui 


faint 
iles 


Ihe  sand 
he  fore 


n 


st    tl 


le 


faces  of  the  half-frozen  men  like  tiny  hail- 
stones. At  length  the  captain  could  liold  out 
no  longer,  and  lying  down,  was  speedily  frozen 
to  death.  A  little  farther  on  tl<o  sailor,  too, 
succunihed.  Left  alone  in  the  struggle  with 
death,  the  mate,  fortunately  a  man  of  unusual 
strength,  pushed  desperately  forward.  Becom- 
ing too  weak  to  stand  upright,  he  took  to  his 
hands  and  knees,  and  in  this  fashion,  after  six 
liours  of  suffering  such  as  human  heings  rarely 
endure,  reached  the  lighthouse  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  so  hruised,  bleeding,  and  frost- 
bitten that  for  a  time  liis  life  hung  trembling 
in  the  ])alance. 

Another  and  much  earlier  wreck  deserves  at- 
tention because  of  its  ])earing  upon  a  problem 
now  dee[)ly  interesting  to  seafarers  tlie  world 
over.  It  liappened  in  IHl*),  und  Superinten- 
dent I)arl)y  is  our  authority.  A  wild  gale  had 
suddenly  spiuiig  up,  and  lie  and  his  men  were 
patrolliiig  the  Ix-ach,  when  they  descried  a  large 
schooner  runniii'jf  riudit  down  before  the  s(orm, 
dead  onto  tlie  lee  shore.  'J'he  sea  was  break- 
ing everywhere  as  far  as  the  eye  (!o\dd  n-aeh, 
and  it  seemed  impossible  for  any  vessel  to  live 
in  it  for  a  moment;  yet  on  the  schooner  (;amo» 


i 


m 


i 

( 
( 

H    ^ 

\>    ^ 
N 


250 


T/r^   nOMANCK   OF  COMMERCE. 


j)assiiig  l)ro{il\or  aftor  hroalcor  niiinjun'd,  ilio 
cxtraonliiiarv  tliinjr  luMijjr  tlmt,  mIiIioujt^Ii  tlio 
liUL'"*'  wavos  raised  ilicir  cuiUmI  licads  almost 
to  tlu5  t(>[>s  of  luM*  masts,  and  tlic  fall  of  any 
of  tliom  upon  lior  dock  woulil  liavo  crushod  licr 
likt;  an  (^^ti^slicll,  not  one  scuMncd  pcM'mittcd  to 
touch  her.  On  tl»c  t'ontrary,  {is  if  by  miracle, 
the  sea  became  smooth  ere  it  reached  her,  and 
she  left  a  shininu;  (rack  behind.  After  some 
minutes  of  thrilliiiijf  suspense  she  was  hurled 
high  and  dry  U[)on  the  beach,  and  every  one 
of  her  crew  rescued,  uninjured. 

Then  came  the  exj)lanation  of  the  strange 
plienomenon  which  had  so  mystified  Superin- 
tendent Oarby.  Two  large  casks  filled  with 
llsh-oil  ha(^.  been  lashed  in  the  fore-rigging,  and, 
securely  lashed  beside  them,  two  of  the  strong- 
est sailors  in  the  crew,  with  long  wooden  la- 
dles in  haiul,  had  been  throwing  the  oil  liigh  up 
in  the  air,  where  it  was  caught  by  the  wind,  and 
carried  far  to  leeward  in  advance  of  the  vessel, 
spreading  over  the  sea  witli  such  effect  that, 
while  it  was  raging,  pitching,  and  breaking  all 
about  her,  not  a  drop  of  w'ater  fell  u})on  the 
Arno's  deck.  I  believe  this  may  with  safety  be 
chiim  ■<!  as  one  of  the  earliest  recorded  instances 


A  N  OCKA  N  a  liAV  K-  YA  li  IK 


251 


ul,    tlio 

Ijrll     tllC 

ulniost 
of  any 
hod  licr 
ittcd  lo 
miracle, 
lier,  and 
Br  sonio 
Inirled 
cry  ono 

stranj^e 
SuiuM-in- 
ed  with 
ncf,  and, 
strong- 
odon  la- 
liigh  up 
ind,  and 
e  vessel, 
ct  that, 
king  all 
pon  the 
iifety  be 
nstances 


nf  tlie  practical  appli(!ati()n  of  oil  to  the  troubled 
waters. 

Ill  order  to  give  succor  to  tluj  shipwrecked, 
and  sav(!  such  of  their  ])roperty  as  might  not  be 
(hislroycd,  as  w(!ll  as  to  pr(!vcnt,  so  far  as  pos- 
sil)lc,  the  occnrrcncc  of  losses,  the  (Canadian 
(lovernuicnt  maintains  two  fine  lighthouse's  and 
a  fully  equipjxMl  life-saving  station  at  Sable  Is- 
land. The  iirst  st(;p  in  this  direction  was  taken 
by  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia,  as  far  back  as 
1802,  voting  two  thousand  dollars  a  year  for 
tlte  purpose.  Little,  of  course,  could  be  done 
upon  so  small  a  sum  ;  but  in  1827  the  Imperial 
government  came  to  its  aid  with  a  like  annual 
anu)unt,  which  is  regularly  paid  to  the  present 
day.  Upon  the  eonfederiition  of  the  Provinces 
in  18(j7,  the  care  of  the  island  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Federal  government,  and  since 
then  Imndreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  ive 
been  spent  upon  it.  A  staff  of  from  eig  cen 
to  twenty  men  is  steadily  maintained  then  ;  two 
life-boats  built  after  the  most  approved  i  ishion 
of  the  Royal  National  Life-boat  Institut  ■;,  and 
a  largo  despatch-boat,  have  been  lately  added; 
the  men  are  drilled  regularly  in  the  ni.'inage- 
ment    of    the    life-boats    and    of    the    rocket 


2r)2  Till':    liOMASCK   OF  i'OMMKIiiJh:. 

MpHMialus:  ;ni(l  coinpldt*  Iclcphoiu*  ronn(vti<>ii 
hctwiMMi  lln»  li^lilliouscs  aiul  \\n\  dilYcrnil,  sta- 
tions lias  luMMJ  «'stal)lisluMl,  wliiK;  a  trU'Ljrapli- 
rahlf  to  tlio  luainlaiid  is  coiitdiiplatod  in  tluv 
in'ar  future,  —  so  tliat.  Sal)l(5  Island  is  now  a, 
lil\>-savi!ii;C  station,  wlioso  iMpiipnuMils  and  capa- 
l)ilitirs  cannot,  1)0  oxccUcd  along  tlie  onliro  At- 
lantic coast. 


Iflil 


A  very  rrninrlsablc  feature  of  Sable  Island, 
and  one  ulucli  surpasses  all  others  in  interest 
an.l  iinpttrtance  in  the  eyes  of  naviirators,  yet 
awaits  imiice;  to  wit.  ti>e  startlinjjf  and  sitjnili- 
cant  liiar.ges  \\  ich  haye  taken  plac(»  in  its  si/e 
and    position   since  tiist  it   became  the   subject 


o 


f  su 


I'yeys   ant 


I   of 


d 


n'trular   observjit ions. 


Ml 


Macdonald,  to  whoso  wreck  chart  I  haye  al- 
ready referred,  has  made  a  very  thoroui^h  study 
of  this  subject;  and  I  am  indebted  to  him  for 
many  of  the  followinir  facts.  On  the  earliest 
charts  of  the  island,  ^yhich  \yore  compiled  from 
French  sources,  it  was  laid  down  as  beiuir  forty 
miles  in  liMicfth  and  two  and  one-fourth  in 
breadth.  In  ITTt)  a  special  survey  ^vas  made 
under  Admiralty  instructions,  and  the  len«^th 
found    to   be    only   thirty-one    miles    and    the 


AN  OCEAN   aUAVE-YAUJ). 


or.o 


tion 

sta- 
111  )1«- 
1  the 
)\v  a 
capa- 
0  Ai- 


rland, 
to rest 
s,  yoV 

[8  size 
ubji'ot 
INlr. 
vo   al- 
stiuly 
im  f»>v 
arliest 
(I  from 

\r  foltV 

itb    in 

leiitrtli 
ul    tbo 


bicadlli  two  iiiiloH,  wliiln  llic  wost  v\n\  was 
placiMl  twoiity-two  luihis  lartlicr  oast.  lM>rty- 
Iwo  y«>ai"s  \\iivv  :i  srcdiid  survrv  was  iiiiuh;  by 
liicutciiaiit  ntirlon  ;  and  )iis  n^port  took  a  iiiilu 
away  IVojii  tiai  l(!ii^th,  and  Kft  i\n'  brradth  tlio 
sanir.  Anollicr  intcjival  of  f(uly-tw»)  y(!ai"s 
passcil,  and  tlio  Admiralty  antlioiitios,  liavinj^ 
liad  tlioir  attention  (Mllcd  lo  tin;  rvidcnt  inaccu- 
rat;y  of  their  charts,  had  anotlier  survey  iiia«h;, 
wliieli  ix'sult  mI  ill  a  still  furtlua*  rtMluction  of 
the  island's  un-a,  while  the  west  end  was  placed 
two  miles  more  to  the  (jastwaid.  Little  more 
than  thirty  y«;ars  havo  elapse(l  sir;  ;;  then  ;  and 
yet  acuiordin^  to  the  last  Admirjiiiy  survey, 
executed  some  years  at^o,  the  tot;il  lenj^th  i.s 
as  we  have  alrtsady  seen,  only  twenty-two  miles 
at  hest,  while  the  breadth  has  shrunk  into  a 
sini^le   mile. 

Surj>risin^,  in  fa(;t  almost  incredil)le,  sus  these 


(tlianj^es  may   apjuNir,  tliey  an 


ir,  th 


fully  I 


)roven   h) 


the  evidoneo  of  those  whose;  ri^dit  to  speak  is 
based  upon  personal  observation.  VVHien  seek- 
inip  a  site  for  the  main  station  in  1802,  a 
well-shelter(;(l  position  was  chosen  amon<(  the 
sand-hills  live  miles  distant  from  the  west  end. 
Yet  in  1S14  the  su[)erintendcnt  was  compelled 


254 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  COMMEliCK. 


m 


i>i 


11:! 


8  :Si'!| 


ij  .1 


to  move  three  miles  farther  east,  as  witliin  the 
four  preceding  years  no  less  than  four  miles 
have  gone  entirely  from  the  west  end,  wliile 
on  the  north  side  an  area  equal  to  forty  feet 
wide  and  three  miles  long  had  been  earried 
away  during  a  single  gale.  In  1820  another 
y^ove,  this  time  four  more  miles  eastward,  was 
necessitated.  Still  the  sea  steadily  advanced, 
as  if  determined  not  to  be  balked  of  its  prey. 
The  two  following  winters  brought  with  them 
frequent  storms,  which  wrought  fearful  liavoc 
along  the  western  shore,  toppling  great  sand- 
hills into  the  surf,  as  well  as  altering  the  sur- 
face in  the  interior,  thousands  of  tons  of  sand 
being  carried  from  the  beach  and  strewn  over 
the  inland  valleys,  smothering  vegetation,  so 
that  hundreds  of  ponies  died  for  want  of  food. 
In  18.^3  ihe  old  stations  were  abandoned,  and 
new  buildings  erected  on  the  broadest  and  most 
sheltered  i)ortion  of  the  island,  where  they 
still  stand  in  comparative  safety.. 

The  old  dwelling  of  the  superintendent  was 
then  earried  yet  another  four  miles  towards  the 
east,  and  subsequently  two  miles  more,  where, 
strange  to  say,  it  escaped  the  insatiable  maw 
of  the  sea  only  to  fall  a  victim  to   the   sand. 


N. 


AN  OCEAN  GRAVE-YAliD. 


Gnuhially  tho  piles  stole  away  the  hummocks 

ill  seemiiiLT  safety- 


iindi 


er  wliost;  lee  it   nes 


Uled 


Left    to     the     rake     of    the    winds,    sand-laden 
eddies  swirled  wit^kedly  a))<»ut  it.     Slowly  yet 


d 


fi 


til 


surely  a  inouFid  arose,  ereepniL,^  up  liom  tlir(.'sn- 
old  to  lintel,  from  lloor  to  peak,  uiilil  at  lemj^th 
the  house  wholly  disappeariMl,  and  tlu;  surfaee 
levelled  out  innocinitly  ahove  it,  leaviiij^^  no 
mark  to  indi(;ate  tlui  spot  of  its  sepulture. 

For  some  years  Sahle  Island  enjoyed  com- 
jjarative  repose,  and  then  tlie  work  of  destruc- 
tion he'ofan  anew,  with  a  vi-j'or  that  soon  made 
auuMids  for  the  h)st  time.  'JMie  winter  of  l(SSt 
did  tremendous  <lamaL;;e.  In  addition  to  tlie 
j^radual  work  of  erosion,  qreat  areas  wen;  le- 
moved  at  once.  I)urin<^^  one  ^^'lle  seventy  fecit 
by  one-fourth  of  a  mile  departe<l  hodily.  A 
month  later  thirty  feet  of  the  whole  breadth  of 
tlie  island  at  the  west  vanishe(l  in  a  few  hours. 
The  winter  of  1882  was  even  woise,  and  was 
distiufjuished  by  tlu;  destruction  w  roULrht  amono" 
the  buildings,  includiiiL^  tlie  West  Knd  liLij-ht- 
house,  a  splendid  structure  nearly  out;  hun- 
dred feet  hig-h,  originally  erected  a  whole  mile 
within  the  grass  hills,  on  wliat  was  thought  a 
})erfectly  secure  site.     There  was  scarcely  tiiiu! 


If 

■I! 


250 


THE  ROMANCE   OF  COMMEIiCE, 


'[?  fl 


!  •  .i 


(    : 


to  take  it  ImrritMlly  to  piuccs  cro  tlio  fouiwlatioii 
iil)on  whicli  it  stood,  hopclussly  iiiuluiiniiiod, 
toppled  over  into  tlio  sea. 

The  liistory  of  the  lake,  wliicli  lias  lu-tMi 
mentioned  as  oeeupyin^^  a  part  of  tlio  centre 
of  the  island,  fnrnislu.'s  ecpially  strikinLj  evi- 
deneo  of  the  vicnssitndes  this  nineli-enduiinj' 
spot  has  nndeigoni!.  When  (hst  known,  tliis 
lake  had  an  opeiiln^^  on  the  north  side,  wldeh 
was  afterwards  closed.  A  few  years  later, 
during  a  terrifit;  storm,  the  se:i  forced  a  channel 
throuj^di  the  lake's  niari^in,  rendering  it  a  con- 
venicMit  harl)or  for  small  vessels.  JUit  in  IHJJI) 
a  similar  tempest  (dosed  it  again,  at  the  same 
time  im[)iisoniMg  two  American  schooners  that 
had  run  in  ihvAv  for  shelter.  (iradnally  it 
l)ecame  very  shoal  fi-om  tlie  washing  down 
of  the  surrounding  cliffs.  Then,  during  the 
winter  of  1881,  a  gah.'  opened  a  gulch  toward 
the  east  end,  whitdi  so  drained  the  lake  that 
it  shrank  to  some  eight  miles  in  length,  where 
it  remains.  The  lake  margin  forming  the 
south  shore  was  at  one  time  half  a  mile  hroad 
and  fifty  feet  higli.  To-day  it  is  merely  a 
narrow  ridge  forming  a  precarious  sea-wall, 
over  which  the  waves  break  in  stormy  weather. 


A .V  (K'K.  1  y  ci:. I  VE-  YA  i:i). 


'2iu 


luliition 

XS     1)0011 

I    eeiitro 
iti«^  i;vi- 
ii(luiiiig 
vii,   tliis 
3,  >vliii;h 
s    liiter, 
chiiiiiit'l 
it  II  con- 
ill  1830 
ho  same 
IS  tliat 
ually    it 
c^   lUnvii 
ng    the 
to\vai<l 
ike  that 
,  where 
ng    the 
e  hioad 
oielv    a 
i;ji-\vall, 
.veather. 


Shonhl  tliis  hairirr  1k>  rcniovod,  tlie  demolition 
of  the  island  will  jnoeeiMl  with  such  inereast.'d 
ii4>idity  that  the  «ud  may  he  approximately 
predicted. 

During  storms,  in  addition  to  the  action  of 


^\ 


aves    and    currents,    the    winds    ravacre    tl 


10 


island's  siirfaco  on  their  own  account.  Finding 
a  raw  spot,  that  is,  where  there  is  no  protecting 
skin  of  sod,  the  eddying  swirls  scoop  out  tlio 
loose  sand  and  carry  it  olT  with  them;  so  that 
around  the  stations  tlie  utmost  vigilance  is 
ever  exercised  to  discover  tlie  first  hri^ak  in 
the  sod,  and  patch  it  ciirefully  hefore  headway 
lias  hecn  Ljaiiud,  otherwise  the  suhstantial 
i)uildings  wouhl  soon  go  tottering  from  their 
foundations. 

To  sum  up  the  whole  matter  in  a  sentence, 
Sahle  Island  is  heing  submerged,  and  is  trav- 
elling eastward  at  such  a  rate  that  any  chart  of 
it,  to  be  accurate,  would  need  to  be  corrected 
every  few  years.  It  is  safc^  to  say  that  the  latest 
chart  ol)tainal)l(!  by  mariners  is  some  miles  at 
least  out  of  tlie  wav.  Since  the  beixiniiiiifr  of 
the  present  century  the  island  has  decreased  in 
length  from  forty  miles  to  twenty-two ;  in 
breadth  from  two  and  one-fourth  to  something 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


^  <^% 


^^-^  4^,< 


1.0 


150 


Hi    12.2 


us 


1.1   l.-^isa 


1.8 


111.25 

1.4 

J4 

1* 6"     — 

» 

V] 


v^ 


>*^/ 


# 


°>;> 


/^ 


y 


Hiotogr^hic 

Sdaices 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


? 


,.<i' 


'A^ 


<*■  4 


^Se      ^^fc* 


1^ 


258 


THE  ROMANCE   OF  COMMERCE. 


IMl 


less  than  one ;  in  height  from  two  hundred  feet 
to  eighty ;  wliile  tliere  has  been  a  variation  in 
the  position  of  tlie  west  ejid  of  not  less  tlian 
twenty-five  miles.  With  such  startling  figures 
as  these  before  us,  it  is  not  difficult  to  forecast 
its  future.  Slowly  perhaps,  yet  none  the  less 
surely,  and  defying  all  attempts  or  devices  of 
feeble  man  to  stay  its  advance,  the  time  is  com- 
ing when  the  victorious  waves  will  fling  their 
triunn)hant  spray  high  over  the  last  vestige  of 
dry  land,  and  the  lights  of  Sable  Island  will  no 
longer  send  tlieir  warning  gleams  across  the 
fatal  sands,  tiiat  will  then  far  more  than  ever 
merit  the  sorrow-laden  title  of  '*  An  Ocean 
Graveyard." 


I'  '    ! 


;  '    I 


m 


i  I 


1    ■     I! 


CE. 


mdred  feet 
ariation  in 
t  less  than 
iiig  figures 
to  forecast 
le  the  less 
devices  of 
me  is  coin- 
fling  their 
vestige  of 
md  will  no 
across  the 
than  ever 
A.n    Ocean 


